100 Miles to Destiny – a Novel on Running

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” Dr. Napolean Hill

Over the past seventeen days the 2010 Winter Olympics provided the World with dozens upon dozens of Monumental Effort stories.  Seeing as we were already inundated with coverage of the games, we felt that reporting on these stories on our blog would be somewhat redundant.   We therefore decided to let the giants of mainstream media provide followers with their versions of commentaries and reports.

Nonetheless, the games most certainly offered many examples of perseverance and the strength of the human spirit.  You did not need to look very far for the story about an athlete who narrowly missed qualifying and then went on to win gold.   There were teams who stumbled in the early rounds of competition only to recover and eventually earn a spot on the podium.  We also saw competitors who despite suffering injuries and surgeries in the past were able to overcome these setbacks and return to dominance in their sport.  Finally, viewers witnessed victims of personal tragedies who managed to suppress their heartache in order to focus and compete on the biggest sporting stage imaginable.

I have my own personal favorite moments from these Olympic Games, but as a sports fan, I simply enjoyed watching passionate and dedicated athletes as they persevered and applied all the work and dedication from the many years of preparation and training to compete against the very best in their disciplines. How do they do it?  What makes them tick?  How do elite athletes dig so deep within themselves to push harder than ever and put it all on the line?

Although a work of fiction, Willis B. McCarthy’s novel “100 Miles to Destiny” offers an insight into the minds of athletes as they compete at the Olympics.  The reader is also treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the organization of an international event.  The setting of the story is the XXIII Olympiad of 1984 held in Los Angeles and the event is a 100-mile run.  There will likely never be any such race at the Olympics, but the author cleverly chooses one of the most prestigious ultra running courses for his tale; the famed Western States Trail in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains from Squaw Valley to Auburn in California.

A seasoned ultra runner and 4-time finisher of Western States, McCarthy clearly understands the highs and lows a runner experiences over the course of a 100-mile race.  Also, his knowledge of this particular course is quite evident.  Whether you are one of the lucky runners who have run this race, or if you are like me and have read many accounts about it, you will certainly appreciate his accuracy and detail.

Although the 1984 Summer Olympics were boycotted by many Eastern-bloc countries and their allies, this novel includes participants from places like Poland, East Germany and Russia.  The author weaves a storyline involving a new leader of the Communist Party who helps avoid a boycott in order to make these Olympics a truly global competition.

McCarthy also develops many interesting personalities including some inevitable stereotypes.  100 Miles to Destiny features a rivalry between an American who is the reigning WS100 champ and a cold-blooded Russian runner.  Other characters include the speedy Africans who set a torrid pace to take the early lead, an enlightened Buddhist Japanese athlete and a quick-witted Irish runner to name a few.

The Canadian contender in the book is a character named Ian Jones.  A personable and well-liked athlete, entering the race Ian Jones is one of the early favorites based on his 100Km World Record time.  At one point the Canadian runner takes part in some friendly banter on the trail with other runners over which country has the best beer.  Unfortunately the author misspelled “Molson’s”!  Shame on him!

Any follower of ultra running in this country will undoubtedly suspect that this character is an accolade to the great Andy Jones who still holds several Canadian ultra-running records.  In the late 1990’s Andy Jones set the standard in the following distances:  2:53:20 for 50K, 4:54:50 for 50-Miles, and a mind-boggling 12:05:43 for 100-miles.

Willis B. McCarthy notes that he took over 2 decades to write this his first novel and its completion is what defines him.  Sprinkled throughout the book the reader will find evidence of McCarthy’s many travels and his knowledge of historical events.  100 Miles to Destiny is a light read and an amusing page-turner.  Although the reader might suspect to know the outcome of the race, we are encouraged to read on with curiosity.

As I write this post I realize that this is the first book of fiction that has been reviewed on Monumental Effort.  Another well-known novel about running, John L. Parker’s Once a Runner, will be featured next month.  If you would like to share a book review with us, click the “Submit your story” tab at the top of the page and start typing.  Perhaps you would like to recommend a book?  Please leave us a comment below.

Gotta run,

Vince