“Human ingenuity may make various inventions, but it will never devise any invention more beautiful, nor more simple, nor more to the purpose than Nature does, because in her inventions nothing is wanting and nothing is superfluous” -Leonardo Da Vinci
A professor of Biology at the University of Vermont, Bernd Heinrich is the author of several books and an accomplished ultra runner. In the early 1980′s, Heinrich decided to apply what he had learned from his studies of the animal kingdom to help him prepare for the United States 100 Km National Championships to be held in Chicago in October of 1981. He had run his first ultra only a few months earlier, a 50 Km race, which he had won by defeating the then U. S. National 100 Km record holder. At the conclusion of this race, Heinrich set out to not only win the championship, but he intended to break the existing record.
In the early chapters of Racing the Antelope, the author echoes his love of running and of nature by detailing his experiences as a young boy, running in the forest behind his house capturing insects for his father the biologist. He introduces the reader to the race in Chicago and explains his motivation for his World Record attempt. As the starting gun sounds and the runners set off, Heinrich stops his account of the race and dedicates the bulk of his book describing – in a very scientific language – how different animals have adapted for survival.
For instance, he details how a bee’s VO2 max is made possible and explains how migrating sandpipers prepare for their 9 000 mile journey from the Arctic Circle to the southern tip of South America. In addition, he compares the running prowess of the antelope to the camel’s ability to stay hydrated for their own desert ultra marathons. Heinrich even explains how a male frog maintains his mating call for periods of up to 24 hours. From the Basilisk lizard to the Tiger beetle, Heinrich outlines too many physiological details and I found myself skipping forward a few chapters to get to the author’s account of the Chicago race.
To my disappointment, this part of the book that I truly looked forward to was somewhat anticlimactic. Also, some of Heinrich’s running and training philosophies seemed a bit primitive. In addition to cutting holes in his shoes to improve air flow, Bernd trained and raced without socks because he wanted to eliminate as much weight as possible. As fuel on race day, he drank solely cranberry juice because he judged that it most resembled wasp regurgitate which is the formula allowing this insect to “maximize its ability for fat metabolism while reducing muscle fatigue and slowing lactic acid build-up”.
In the Chicago race, Bernd Heinrich’s quest was a successful one as he finished first in a time of 6 hours 38 minutes and 21 seconds. This was a new World Record and the time still stands as the U.S. Masters record for that distance. Racing the Antelope provides some interesting insight into the animal world, but I felt the content too rich in scientific babble. Without a doubt, Heinrich remains one of the best ultra marathoners ever, and his knowledge of animal biology is quite evident. This book reminded me of the importance of combining mental and physical preparation in my training. Heinrich’s extensive research was surely an important to his running success. We can all benefit from applying knowledge of ourselves and the world that surrounds us in making us stronger, more efficient runners.
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