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One Track Mind

What Running 150 Miles in a Day Can Teach You About Life

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About this listen

When Michael Stocks stands at the starting line of a 24-hour race on an athletics track in South London, it is noon and rain is beginning to fall. His aim is to run more than 150 miles by noon the following day, in order to fulfil his dream of being selected to run for Great Britain. He is 49 years old, and it will require the performance of a lifetime. One Track Mind tells the story of these 24 life-changing hours. It reveals the mental tools that make it possible to run six marathons in a single day, and how they can be applied to other parts of life. And it shares the realisations about life that remain long after the race has ended.

A love letter to a race, to a community at the frontier of sport and to life itself, One Track Mind is an inspirational examination of the fascinating world of extreme endurance.

©2021 Michael Stocks (P)2021 Michael Stocks Running & Jogging Sports Running Track

Critic reviews

"A wonderful read.... I highly recommend it." (Adharanand Finn, author of Running with the Kenyans)
All stars
Most relevant
What a great book. If you're a runner, read this. If you're the partner of a runner, read this. If you're interested in running and endurance, read this. It perfectly captures the essence of running, dealing with self doubt during races, and why we love to run.

Inside the mind of a long distance runner

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As a woman who came to running almost a year ago (C25k) at the age of 38 I am not exactly in the same catagory as Micheal but I was amazed to find that the struggles he talks about are those that we all go through. I would highly recommend it and the narration is great.

Brilliant

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Anyone who has run an ultramarathon will appreciate this book, and a lot of people who haven't as well. Perfectly captures the essence of the event and the mindset of those who take on these challenges. An absorbing and honest account , well written and narrated.

Superb

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Written as short chapters bundled into 6 parts that mirror the rhythm of a 24 hour track race Michael Stocks talks about the qualities needed to run an ultra that are also invaluable in life. I laughed out loud at the descriptions of ascending and descending stairs!

24 hours is a long time to run for but I'm sure that this will make interesting and inspirational reading for whatever you aspire to.

Will it ignite your inner fire?

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This book does a really good job of describing what goes through the runners mind when running in circles for 24 hours.

It should appeal to non-runners alike; as there’s deeper parallels with other aspects of life and our motivations and struggles.

Nicely structured, compelling recollection of an epic run.

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