Life Is a Marathon, Matt Fitzgerald
Life Is a Marathon, Matt Fitzgerald
2 Rating(s)
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Life Is a Marathon
A Memoir of Love and Endurance

Author: Matt Fitzgerald

Narrator: Jamie Renell

Unabridged: 9 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Balance

Published: 03/26/2019


Synopsis

An endurance athlete and coach reveals how the marathon transforms the lives of everyone who attempts it--and how it has helped his own family cope with serious adversity

Step after step for 26.2 miles, hundreds of thousands of people run marathons. But why--what compels people past pain, lost toenails, 5.30 am start times, The Wall? Sports writer Matt Fitzgerald set out to run eight marathons in eight weeks across the country to answer that question. At each race, he meets an array of runners, from first timers, to dad-daughter teams and spouses, to people who'd been running for decades, and asks them what keeps them running. But there is another deeply personal part to Matt's journey: his own relationship to the sport--and how it helped him overcome his own struggles and cope with his wife Nataki's severe bipolar disorder.

A combination of Matt's own How Bad Do You Want It? and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Life Is a Marathon captures the magic of those 26.2 miles. At the end of the day--and at the end of the race--the pursuit of a marathon finish line is not unlike the pursuit of happiness. You will pick up the book for a powerful personal story about what running does for the people for whom it does the most. You will put it down with a greater understanding of what it means to be alive in this world.

About Matt Fitzgerald

Matt Fitzgerald is an award-winning endurance sports journalist and the bestselling author of more than twenty books on running, triathlons, fitness, nutrition, and weight loss, including Brain Training for Runners and Racing Weight. His byline appears regularly in national publications, including Men's Journal, Outside, and Women's Running. An experienced running and triathlon coach and certified sports nutritionist, Matt serves as a training intelligence specialist for PEAR Sports and as a featured coach on active.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ron on October 30, 2019

Sports journalist and author Matt Fitzgerald (Iron War, Racing Weight, How Bad Do You Want It) writes about running eight marathons in eight weeks and the people he meets along the way. What makes this an unusual running book is how Fitzgerald intertwines the story of his wife Nataki, who suffers wi......more

Goodreads review by Sarah Obsesses over Books & Cookies on September 23, 2019

This is and isn't about running. The author is a runner for sure and the book is about him running marathons but it parallels his marriage to a woman named Nataki whom he has been married for some 20 years or so. She isn't a runner and also suffers from bipolar disorder and man does this guy get hon......more

Goodreads review by johnjmontgomery.com on March 16, 2019

I've read a lot of bipolar-themed books as my wife has bipolar. This is the best one written by the perspective of a husband whose wife suffers from this severe mood disorder. As an author/lifelong athlete and runner, I also really enjoyed Fitzgerald's discussion of his running and writing careers.......more

Goodreads review by Mary on June 03, 2023

Matt Fitzgerald can really write--a stark contrast to many other running memoirists, where the prose is often pretty politely described as workmanlike--and the portions of this memoir detailing some of the harrowing experiences he's put himself through as a runner are pretty hilarious, spanning from......more

Goodreads review by Meg on January 25, 2022

This was very raw, moving and inspiring, but also uncomfortable at times. I really loved the exploration of the entanglement running has with the human condition and how the sport is a microcosm of life itself. ------------------------------- "But what I loved even more, was the ascent itself. The fe......more


Quotes

"Life is a Marathon is a powerful inspiration for the body, mind, and heart: after reading the book, I want to run longer, better understand myself as an athlete, and most importantly, love with more patience and generosity."
Mark Lukach, author of the international bestseller My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward

"Matt Fitzgerald reveals how perseverance and authentic love (whether it be for a partner, a sport, or anything that's close to one's heart) can transform a life into one that's worth living. Life is a Marathon is nothing short of remarkable."
Dyane Harwood, author of Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder

"Life is a Marathon is a running book, of course, but it's also about love, family, passion, and what it means to find your true self. It's a must-read for anyone who has run a marathon -- or wants to."
Jen Miller, author of Running: A Love Story

"I've long admired Matt as a writer. Life is a Marathon allowed me to get to know him as a person. Thoughtful runners will appreciate this honest and insightful book."
Scott Douglas, author of Running is My Therapy, Advanced Marathoning, and several other running books