Falling Forward

"His most spectacular exploit was running three ultramarathons...[where] on three consecutive weekends, he ran 100 miles, 100 miles and 50 miles in Arkansas, Kansas and Texas, respectively," marveled the Herald-Citizen. The paper didn't say that on the fourth weekend Smith won his age division in a 5K, in yet a fourth state. Indeed, in the three years following the resignation of a long-held professorship, he ran a dazzling array of races. In the process he set several age-group records, and won a state running tour championship. He was sixty-two. Smith draws on this race saga to write a book of genuine adventure, one accessible to runner and non-runner alike. He writes like he runs, with a sharp eye for details surrounding him-and he embraces all, taking the reader along for the journey. His story deals honestly with the stark reality of pushing endurance to the limit. The experiences are at times poignant and funny, at other times painful and scary, but always human and personal. Falling Forward covers a lot of territory.