Endurance: The Events, the Athletes, the Attitude

Gross, who has written for periodicals as diverse as Triathlon and Western Horseman, exhibits an encyclopedic knowledge of endurance events. Sports fans will be intrigued to discover how many and how varied such events are, for they include not only 100-mile runs and English Channel swims, but cross-country skiing, mountain climbing, transoceanic rowing, a 200-kilometer ice-skating race, the Tour de France for cyclists, the Iditarod dogsled race and even human-powered flight. Almost as interesting are the portraits of the athletes involved, from swimmer Penny Dean to ultramarathon runner T. J. Key. The book concludes with sections on motivation, training, setting limits and the like, which are aimed at would-be endurance athletes. (June)