Simon Harvey

I’m completing my first Ultramarathon this year - the UTA 50 in the Blue Mountains, Australia. I need some help and stumbled across this book on Amazon and thought I’d give it a read! It turned out to be a worthwhile investment, providing a concise overview of essential considerations for an ultrarunner. I really enjoyed that some sections get quite detailed around specific protocols – the hydration section as an example. However, some sections left me craving more depth, for example during the weight training section, Hal gives one example of an exercise he does ‘eccentric quad training on the leg extension machine’. I would have loved it if he went beyond this and shared a few example workouts people could follow. I also found the training plans a bit one size fits all and it would have been great to see more nuance here based on experience level – days available to run a week etc. What stood out though is Koerner's clear, conversational style and humility, making the guide an engaging read. Real-life anecdotes really enrich the content. While the guide falls slightly short of perfection due to the craving for more substance in certain protocols, it earns high praise from me for its engaging style and wealth of anecdotes. It has been a valuable tool so far and I'm sure I'll be diving back into different sections as needed!