Finn examines world of ultra running in Guardian Faber acquisition

Guardian Faber has acquired a book about ‘ultra running’, one of the “toughest sports in the world”, by Adharanand Finn.

The Rise of the Ultra Runners: A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance examines how ultra running became a global industry, with hundreds of thousands of people competing every year, and examines whether the sport is an antidote to modern life, or rather a symptom of a modern illness.

Finn, a sports journalist who has also written Running with the Kenyans and The Way of the Runner for Faber, said: “This book is a journalistic and personal journey into the crazy world of ultra running. Of course, I never do things the easy way, and so I have huffed and puffed and hallucinated through thousands of miles, across crazy landscapes, often for days without stopping, to get the inside story on why this is one of the world’s fastest growing sports. What I learned out there on the trails, about inner strength, companionship and the expandable limits of human endurance is at the heart of this book”

Guardian Faber acquired the UK and Commonwealth rights, plus Canada and the EU, from Oli Munson at A.M. Heath. Publication is set for May 2019.

Commissioning editor Fred Baty said: “I couldn't be more pleased to be working with Adharanand on The Rise of the Ultra Runners. It's an absolutely exhilarating account of the global ultramarathon phenomenon, perfect both for committed runners and those like me who are more than happy to live vicariously through the staggering athletic exploits of others.”