The Nature Lover’s Quotation Book: An Inspired Collection for Hiking, Camping and the Great Outdoors, compiled by Hatherleigh Press, 2018. Reviewed by trail runner Laura Clark. The beauty of a compilation of quotations about nature is that you can absorb the essence of great writers and naturalists without having to plough through pages of dense… Read more »
Trail runner Laura Clark reviews North: Finding My Way By Running the Appalachian Trail, by Scott Jurek with Jenny Jurek. Published by Little, Brown and Company, 2018. Folks who set out to hike the 2,189 mile Appalachian Trail are most likely on a quest to discover their inner selves. If they have no compelling reason… Read more »
Book review by Laura Clark for the Spring 2018 edition of our Trail Times Newsletter. Not all ultrarunners are humans. Meet Gobi, a sturdy, sandy-colored mutt with Chihuahua-style ears, a flagship tail and the focused stare of a runner determined to put in the miles however difficult they might prove. Incredibly, this resolute dog materialized… Read more »
Reviewed by Laura Clark and originally published in the Winter 2017/18 edition of our Trail Times newsletter. Running the Long Path: A 350-Mile Journey of Discovery in New York’s Hudson Valley, by Kenneth A. Posner. “There lies before me a long brown path, leading wherever I choose.” — Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road… Read more »
Book review written by ATRA member Laura Clark and originally published in the Fall 2017 edition of our Trail Times newsletter. The Tao of Running: Your Journey to Mindful and Passionate Running, by Gary Dudney. Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2016. The keys to The Tao of Running are contained in the subtitle: journey, mindful and… Read more »
American Trail Running Association (ATRA) president Adam W. Chase and executive director Nancy Hobbs have joined forces again to coauthor a series of four trail running guide books. These “where-to” guides follow on the heels of their successful “how-to” book, The Ultimate Guide to Trail Running, first published in 2001, with a second edition published… Read more »
The Way of the Runner: A Journey into the Fabled World of Japanese Running, by Adharanand Finn. Pegasus Books, 2015. Reviewed by Laura Clark for the Fall 2017 edition of the Trail Times newsletter. Upon his return from Kenya (Running with the Kenyans), A. Finn posted an impressive series of PRs in a variety of distances…. Read more »
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, by Peter Wohlleben. Greystone Books, 2015. Reviewed by Laura Clark for the Fall 2017 edition of the Trail Times newsletter. Deep into a difficult trail race, I always seem to recall this common quote: “I ran by the trees as if they were standing… Read more »
Base Camp Las Vegas: 101 Hikes in the Southwest, by Deborah Wall. Imbrifex Books, 2017. Fly nonstop to Las Vegas (as easy as flying the tourist nonstop to Disney World), take in a few shows and then escape to the desert trails. What a deal! Described public recreation areas are handily sorted by distance from… Read more »
The Brave Athlete: Calm The F*uck Down and Rise to the Occasion. Velopress, 2017. By Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson. Book review by Laura Clark. Photo above by Nancy Hobbs. I must admit my initial difficulty in dealing with the title of this book. Outside of exceptions like Terry Fox, the cancer amputee who… Read more »
Book review written by Laura Clark for our Summer 2017 Trail Times Newsletter. The Trail Runner’s Companion: A Step-by-Step Guide to Trail Running and Racing, 5Ks to Ultras, by Sarah Lavender Smith. Falcon, 2017. The first thing I do when I approach a book is admire the jacket, glance at the table of contents and… Read more »
Written by Laura Clark for ATRA’s Spring 2017 Trail Times Newsletter. Cresting Homer’s rosy-fingered dawn is a new interest in Greek heroes. Sparked by Rick Riordan’s middle-grade Percy Jackson series two offerings for adults have recently made their debut. As a matter of pride for all of us, they are written by ultrarunners accustomed to… Read more »
Endurance and Selected Essays on Autism, Neurodiversity, and Deep Sport, by Hal Walter. Out There Publishing, 2016. Reviewed by Laura Clark What you get is not always what you expect. Those who endure do their best with the cards they are given. This rule of thumb pretty much sums up the life of Hal Walter,… Read more »
Review written by Laura Clark, a trail runner and snowshoe racer who lives in Saratoga Springs NY and is a Children’s Librarian at the Saratoga Springs (New York) Public Library. The Grand Trail publisher Velopress is an ATRA corporate member. It is a universal urge to proclaim to the world who we are, what makes… Read more »
Press release from ATRA corporate member VeloPress. A new book, Grand Trail: A Magnificent Journey to the Heart of Ultrarunning and Racing, shares the stunning beauty and raw emotions of ultrarunning, paying tribute to the passion and splendor of the sport and lifestyle. Filled with powerful photographs and intimate stories from brothers Frederic and Alexis… Read more »
Press release from ATRA corporate member VeloPress. New Book, Spitting in the Soup, Explores the History of Sports Doping and Shines Light on Doping in Olympic Sports. Sports journalist Mark Johnson examines how deals made behind closed doors keep drugs in sports and the changes required to kick drugs out of sports once and for… Read more »
In 2006 mountain & trail running legend Dave Dunham published “Only One Hill! A History of the Mt. Washington Road Race”. Each Friday for the next several weeks Dave will be publishing a chapter of his book on this website and on his blog. To purchase a hard copy of this book visit the Infinity… Read more »
Press release from ATRA corporate member VeloPress. In Rocket Fuel, award-winning dietitian Matt Kadey offers up 126 delicious, creative, and convenient real-food recipes to power your everyday exercise and weekend adventures. Kadey’s ingenious Rocket Fuel foods—like easy-to-make muffins, bars, pies, bites, gels, smoothies, balls, wraps, and cookies—will inspire how you fuel for your favorite sports…. Read more »
Press release from ATRA corporate member VeloPress. Science shows that we are who we eat with. Enjoying meals with friends and family makes as much difference to our well-being as people-and our performance as athletes-as the foods we choose. That’s the message of a new cookbook, Feed Zone Table: Family-Style Meals to Nourish Life and… Read more »
Press release from ATRA corporate member VeloPress. Power meters for running have arrived, and they will revolutionize the sport of running. Run with Power: The Complete Guide to Power Meters for Running introduces the use of power meters to running and triathlon and shows athletes how the revolution will begin. As coach Jim Vance says,… Read more »
© 2024 American Trail Running Association. All rights reserved.