Night Running: A Book of Essays About Breaking Through [Paperback]

This daring volume combines the best of writing on running with the appeal of the best literary writing, essays that take in the sights and sounds and smells of real life, of real risk, of real pain and of real elation. Emphasizing female voices, this collection of eleven personal essays set in different countries around the world offers a deep but accessible look at the power of running in our lives to make us feel more and to see ourselves in a new light.

From acclaimed novelistEmily Mitchelland Portland attorneyAnne Milliganto authorVanessa Runsand ESPN reporterBonnie Ford, a diverse lineup of writers captures a variety of perspectives on running at night. These are stories that can inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to take on a thrilling new challenge. The contributors all have distinct tales to tell, but each brings a freshness and depth to their experiences that makeNight Runninga necessary part of every runner’s library - and a valuable addition to the reading lists of all thoughtful readers.

From 5

THE LAND OF THE
MIDNIGHT SUN

BY VANESSA RUNS

I have a dream of someday running the full length of the Alaska Highway, which winds from British Columbia, through the Yukon, and finally into Alaska, a challenge more commonly tackled by bikers or cyclists. The highway is the most beautiful I have ever seen, with a side of danger that gives me goose bumps. Moose outnumber people two to one in the Yukon. Traffic jams are caused by wildlife, not cars. Close to 80 percent of the territory remains pristine wilderness.

Alaska is home to thirty-thousand grizzlies, more than twenty times the number in the Lower 48. Scary as that sounds, I’m told a moose attack is statistically more likely – but in Haines, Alaska, I fed a moose a banana and kissed her on the nose. So there. Bear, moose, sheep and bison sightings are frequent on the highway. In a span of two hol³J