In this book, Dean provides insights as to how he started on his quest to test the limits of endurance. He described an incident during his junior high years with his mentor Coach McTavish. Dean ran all out in the Cal State long distance championship, against older stronger runners.
After he won, Coach McTavish asked, "How'd it feel?" Dean answered, "Going out hard was the right thing to do. It felt pretty good." Coach squinted at him and said, "If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." This statement became Dean's mantra, in a manner of speaking.
Interestingly, Dean did not run for 15 years after that, having to earn his way through college and graduate school, and thereafter establishing his career. It was only on his 30th birthday that "something snapped" and he decided to go for an impromptu night run from his home in San Francisco. He ran seven hours through the night to San Mateo coast, covering 30 miles. That was Dean's "reawakening."
The next section was devoted to Dean's first Western States 100-mile endurance run. This event covers 100 miles within 24 hours, traverses through snow peaked mountains and murderously hot valleys. The run includes an early climb from 6,000 feet to almost 10,000 feet in elevation. Participants have to ford numerous bridgeless bridges, deal with harrowing drop-offs and unpredictable terrain. It is termed the "toughest endurance event in the world" and to quality, one must complete a 50-mile race in less than 9 hours!
I learnt a fascinating way to deal with acorn-sized blisters - lance the blister, drain, then stick the skin together with super glue (insert into the blister) and then duct tape the foot.
Dean finished in 21 hours, 15th position out of 379 starters.
The next hurdle was Badwater - the lowest point in the middle of Death Valley, southeastern California, 282 feet below sea level. Summer time temp can exceed 130 deg F. Shoe soles melt on contact with the asphalt. So runners run along the white line on the edge of the roadside. Dean passed out on this 1995 run, severely dehydrated, vomitting and on the verge of heatstroke. His first failure.
The next year, Dean was back and he succeeded that time. He also completed nine more Western States in addition to numerous marathons and multisports events.
If Badwater was highway to hell, then the other extreme - cold - became Dean's next target. The South Pole marathon in 2002 was novel and unique. A handful of "crazies" flew to the South Pole, amidst weeks of delays due to bad weather. Dean decided against snow shoes, in contrast to all the other runners and had to place heating pads in his shoes to prevent his feet from freezing in the -54 deg F icy terrain. He had serious problems during his run - his goggles froze over and so did his mask. That meant he could not eat. Pace was excruciatingly slow (15 minute mile - brisk walk pace on normal surfaces) even though Dean ran all out at full capacity. It took him more than 8 hours and lots of tissue damage. But Dean completed the first ever South Pole marathon.
Other than reading the fascinating stories, what I found very thought provoking was Dean's answer to the question "Why?"
I quote:
It's an excellent question, though addictions are never neatly defined. ... When people ask me why I run such improbable distances for nights on end, I've often been tempted to answer with something like, "Because I can." It's true as far as it goes, and athletes aren't always the most introspective souls. But it's not a complete answer. It's not even satisfying to me. I've got questions of my own.
What am I running from?
Who am I running for?
Where am I running to?
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