Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance

Alex Hutchinson

Anyone who has followed this site for any length of time knows I’m obsessed with human endurance. Why (and how) do we push through pain, how do we keep getting faster? Why are some people so much better at this, and how did they get that way? How much is genes, how much is training and how much is will?

If you care about these questions, and I certainly do, then this book is a must read. Hutchinson writes probably the most scientifically based journalism in Runners World and Outside magazine and here he takes that experience, and PhD in physics smarts and melds it with years of personal running experience and real journalistic chops. He meets with some of the best runners and scientists in the world and does as good a job as anyone has in explaining the science and psychology behind remarkable endurance performances, such as Nike’s attempt at a sub-2 hour marathon.

If you have any interest in the science of endurance sports, you’ve probably already this gem, if not, you should. Even if endurance sports aren’t your thing, there’s lot to learn here from Hutchinson’s clear writing on the possibility of human performance.

Recommended for the Enthusiast