Racing Against Time
On Ironman, Ultramarathons, and the Quest for Transformation in Mid-Life
An encouraging memoir–cum–running guide, Racing Against Time is about pushing one’s athletic limits to succeed.
Capturing the fulfilling qualities of athletic engagement, Jeffrey Weiss’s inspirational sports memoir Racing Against Time is about running tough races in middle age.
The book starts in medias res, with Weiss, in his late forties, battling muscle spasms eleven hours into a run, before flashing back to his midlife decision to resume running after his father’s death. After running his first 10k race in decades, he became enamored of pushing his limits in the sport. He pressed on to become an accomplished ultramarathoner, taking on more daunting challenges as he tested the limits of his perseverance. In races around the globe, there were punishing long-distance runs and the addition of swimming and cycling elements; through it all, his mettle was tested. Collectively, his experiences changed his perspective on life.
Beyond Weiss’s own stories and training regimens comes advice for other ultramarathon runners and triathletes, though elements of it are applicable to all pursuing their particular fitness goals. There are tips on training, preparation, psychology, and strategy, as with notes on proper cross-training and dressing for a triathlon. Explanations of racing amplify it further, though its definitions of core racing terms like race bib and explorations of concepts like race-day magic will be unsurprising to those well-versed in the sport.
Notes on common strategies like splitting, what race snacks to pack to keep one’s energy up, and how short naps can be restorative but cause the body to stiffen up also have an introductory flavor. The text draws from outside sources in laying some of this groundwork: Galloway’s Book on Running is referenced, among a bevy of other resources whose volume dilutes the book’s personal focus somewhat.
More personalized are Weiss’s accounts of the aches, pains, and frustrations he experienced while running. He recalls coming down with a cold on race day and feeling deflated, and describes feelings of exertion and exhaustion in palpable terms. He notes that he had to relieve himself in a residential neighborhood once, with no restrooms in sight. In handling these and other subjects, the prose is concise and declarative, illumined by natural inclusions of racing jargon: “It was a loop course that finished where it started, an equal amount of descending” that had “almost as much vertical.” Running throughout the text is a clear sense of Weiss’s spirit of adventure, resilience, and iron will, which he drew upon while pushing toward his next milestones.
A motivational sports memoir, Racing Against Time chronicles grueling endurance running accomplishments achieved in midlife.
Reviewed by
Joseph S. Pete
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
