Two Hours
The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon
1st Edition
Published on 16. July 2015
256 pages
978-0-241-96282-4 (ISBN)
Description
WINNER OF THE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARD FOR NEW WRITER OF THE YEAR
'Lyrical and passionate ... a celebration of the human spirit and what it can achieve' Observer
Two hours to cover twenty-six miles and 385 yards. An exceptional feat of speed, mental strength and endurance. The sub-two-hour marathon is running's Everest, a feat once seen as impossible for the human body. But now we have reached the mountaintop.
In this spellbinding book Ed Caesar takes us into the world of the elite of the elite: the greatest marathoners on earth. Through the stories of these rich characters, and their troubled lives, he traces the history of the marathon as well as the science, physiology and psychology involved in running so fast, for so long. And he shows us why this most democratic of races retains its savage, enthralling appeal - why we are drawn to test ourselves to the limit.
Now with a new afterword telling the inside story of how Eliud Kipchoge achieved the impossible, with exclusive access to Nike's #Breaking2 project, and the Ineos159 event at which the barrier was finally broken.
'Lyrical and passionate ... a celebration of the human spirit and what it can achieve' Observer
Two hours to cover twenty-six miles and 385 yards. An exceptional feat of speed, mental strength and endurance. The sub-two-hour marathon is running's Everest, a feat once seen as impossible for the human body. But now we have reached the mountaintop.
In this spellbinding book Ed Caesar takes us into the world of the elite of the elite: the greatest marathoners on earth. Through the stories of these rich characters, and their troubled lives, he traces the history of the marathon as well as the science, physiology and psychology involved in running so fast, for so long. And he shows us why this most democratic of races retains its savage, enthralling appeal - why we are drawn to test ourselves to the limit.
Now with a new afterword telling the inside story of how Eliud Kipchoge achieved the impossible, with exclusive access to Nike's #Breaking2 project, and the Ineos159 event at which the barrier was finally broken.
Reviews / Votes
Superb * Evening Standard * The topic is one of the most profound there is: the absolute limits of human performance. * Sebastian Junger * A fascinating insight into the clockwork of what it means to be an elite athlete, always pushing at the edge of possibility. * Colum McCann * Explores one of sport's ultimate questions: is there a final human boundary and, if so, where? A terrific book: elegant, engaging and rewarding. * Ed Smith, former England cricketer, Times Columnist and author of Luck * This book explodes out of the blocks, continues at a terrific clip, never flags and breasts the tape victorious, its arms in the air. Like the best foot race, it is tight, pacy and riveting. A brilliant debut. Give the man a medal and a bunch of flowers * Esquire * Superb. Caesar has established himself as perhaps the best new long-form magazine writer since the arrival of John Jeremiah Sullivan -- Richard Williams * Guardian * Caesar wears his considerable research into most aspects of the marathon - its history, science, and the spectre of performance-enhancing drugs - with a loping, easy style * Independent * His reportage has the feel of the very best of American journalism - as if he has researched the matter to hell, spent his time in the field, nailed down every fact, then bashed it out on a typewriter with a cigarette smouldering in his mouth * Sunday Times * A fine study of human endurance and the competitive spirit of marathon runners * Independent * Lyrical and passionate... a celebration of the human spirit and what it can achieve * Observer *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
File size
1,69 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-241-96282-4 (9780241962824)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Ed Caesar is forty years old. He lives in Manchester, and writes for the New Yorker. He has won eleven major journalism awards - including a British Press Award, PPA Writer of the Year and the 2014 Foreign Press Award for Journalist of the Year. His subjects have included conflict in central Africa, the world's longest tennis match, stolen art, money-laundering, and the trade in diamonds. His first book, Two Hours, won a Cross Sports Book Award in 2016.
