Description
National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Jennifer Pharr Davis unlocks the secret to maximizing perseverance–on and off the trail
Jennifer Pharr Davis, a record holder of the FKT (fastest known time) on the Appalachian Trail, reveals the secrets and habits behind endurance as she chronicles her incredible accomplishments in the world of endurance hiking, backpacking, and trail running. With a storyteller’s ear for fascinating detail and description, Davis takes readers along as she trains and sets her record, analyzing and trail-testing the theories and methodologies espoused by her star-studded roster of mentors. She distills complex rituals and histories into easy-to-understand tips and action items that will help you take perseverance to the next level. The Pursuit of Endurance empowers readers to unlock phenomenal endurance and leverage newfound grit to achieve personal bests in everything from sports and family to the boardroom.
Taking the Long Way Home –
Jennifer Pharr Davis, author, National Geographic Adventurer of the year, and record holder of the fastest-known time on the Appalachian Trail for four years –her record was broken by Scott Jurek, whose book North details his Appalachian Trail run– shares stories of feats of endurance as well as her own story in the very engaging The Pursuit of Endurance. I expected The Pursuit of Endurance to be Pharr Davis’ story, but instead, she shares her story along with the stories of many others who have inspired her. Interspersed throughout the book are tips and advice to guide the reader to developing endurance as well as mental toughness. She believes and espouses that anyone who really wants to do can push themselves farther than they think.
Pharr Davis is mentored by mostly male endurance athletes and her book reads like a who’s who of ultradistance athletes. Warren Doyle, David Horton, Scott Jurek, and Andrew Thompson are some of the ultradistance athletes that she mentions in The Pursuit of Endurance. Some of these men mentored her–others were influential in her journey. I’ve heard how tight-knit the ultra community is and by all accounts, these runners support each other and celebrate victories, even when records of their own are broken.
I found The Pursuit of Endurance to be immensely readable and interesting. Pharr Davis is a prolific writer and at times I lost myself in the adventures shared on the pages. I’m not an ultrarunner nor do I desire to be one, but I do find inspiration in the stories of runners, particularly women, who push themselves to attempt endeavors that the average person wouldn’t dream of. As an aside, Pharr Davis was pregnant when she finished her FKT attempt. It seems the sky is the limit for women and it will be exciting to see what the next generation of young women do in the world of endurance events.
Pharr Davis ends the book with thoughts on the future of endurance and the pursuit of the FKT in the era of more athletes pursuing records, the use of GPS, and the honesty of athletes. She shares what she’s learned from her fellow trail runners. She reminds her readers to continue to move forward.
PDA –
Endurance in the context of life was eye opening. What Jennifer has written impacted me in profound ways. I cannot wait to get on a trail.
Marie C –
I really liked this book. I read Becoing Odyssa and really like that as well. If your into Appalachian Trail history I highly recommend it.
Rachel –
Highly recommend book. Written very well. I love learning about people I never heard of that are so remarkable. Your a wonderful women.
Ellen Brown –
Well done, I rarely reread books but this is one of those that I’ll pickup again. Great for guys and gals but especially young women. Goes beyond athletics, life lessons on enduring.