RUNNING THE BRIDGE

On Saturday, April 17, runners will race between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico over the longest bridge in our island chain. Whether you are a spectator or competitor the 40th Annual 7 Mile Bridge Run will be a mini marathon to remember!

Born to Run
by Christopher McDougal

A hidden tribe, super athletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen … This book is about running. The physiology, history, biology, love of it, hate of it and injuries a runner endures. Award winning journalist Christopher McDougall is an avid runner endlessly experiencing outdoor adventures and battling common injuries. As his inquiring mind searches for a quick fix to stop the pain he discovers the world of ultra-marathoners, or extreme distance runners. He encounters a tribe in Mexico whom he calls the Running People. The Tarahumara Indians are a timid, isolated group who spend their lives running for the joy of it. They are capable of running for days through the wilderness, traveling hundreds of miles with only a little food, small amount of water and rarely an injury. Christopher meets an array of interesting characters throughout his journey, changing the way he runs, what he eats and his perspective regarding his passion, running. The reader most definitely does not have to be a runner to enjoy this eye opening and exhilarating book.

North
by Scott Jurek

Challenged to break the speed record (FKT – Fastest Known Time) running the 2,189 mile Appalachian Trail, athlete Scott Jurek would have to run nearly 50 miles a day, every day for 46 days. After many accolades and more than 20 years competing, speaking and writing, Scott felt he was at a point in his life that craved another challenge. This world-renowned distance runner sets out in the spring of 2015 with his best friend/wife Jenny, to accomplish this demanding feat. While Jenny would provide supplies, meals and directions she also assisted Scott through injury, sleeplessness, bad weather and unwelcome strangers. Narrated by both Jenny and Scott, this memoir beautifully describes the depths of their marriage and the magnificent terrain they pass through. Quite a few quirky spectators meet up with them along the way offering motivation and advice. The physical demands strip Scott of every ounce of his energy but once again he proves to athletes everywhere how the mind controls so much of our bodies. A beautiful trip through nature, this tale of friendship and perseverance will equally inspire runners and non-runners to follow your own lifelong dreams.

Fast Girls
by Elise Hooper

Sports pioneers of the twentieth century, Betty Robinson, Helen Stephens and Louise Stokes were among the few female athletes headed to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Nazi Germany. After years spent fighting to be part of their local track and field teams, these fast and feisty female runners overcame adversity at every turn. Repeatedly told their sex was too fragile to compete, reprimanded for unladylike behavior and facing racial discrimination, the three women, along with many others, spent years proving their abilities and strength on and off the track. With a tiny taste of success in 1928 and 1932, the women were training hard to make the U.S. proud and refute Adolf Hitler’s theories of Aryan racial superiority. As the politically charged Berlin Games became a powerful propaganda tool for Nazi Germany, the athletes who initially had considered boycotting continued to strive for greatness. Narrated by their personal histories and newspaper clippings, “Fast Girls” shares these untold historical stories of champions who paved the future for female athletes everywhere.

READER TIP: Don’t have time to read as much you’d like? Check out audibles while you are running!

Karen Newfield is first and foremost a reader, she has reviewed hundreds of books on her blog www.readingandeating.com. And, more recently, this new Keys resident has also begun writing.