The Long Run (Book Review)

During my summer break from school, I love to try and catch up on books that I have been wanting to read and have been piling up next to my nightstand. On my recent trip to crew/pace at the Western States 100, I had the opportunity to read The Long Run by Matt Long and Charles Butler. You may remember hearing in 2005, about a firefighter who had been hit by a bus riding his bike to work in New York City. That was Matt Long. What you may not know was that Matt was not only an Ironman finisher but had also recently qualified for the Boston Marathon right before the accident. No doubt his physical conditioning prior to the accident was one of the contributing factors as to why he was able to endure the injuries and subsequent rehabilitation. It is likely that a non athlete would not have survived the trauma.

The book holds nothing back in terms of explaining the long and painful process that Matt endured on his way back. As much as the physical journey was described in great detail, the mental journey, I believe was key in really getting a handle on who Matt was and how he used his prior athletic pursuits to drive himself forward. The Long Run is a reminder that there is an athlete inside all of us and to never stop moving forward.