This week I am giving away a free copy of Coast to Coast; just leave a comment describing a story about running for a chance to win.
Coast to Coast is about the November 2004 relay run by the cross country team of the Rochester Institute of Technology. They began the relay by dipping their batons in the Pacific ocean, and finished the relay by jumping into the Atlantic ocean. The relay took 12 days 3 hours and 48 minutes, and the baton moved continuously forward (mostly) on it’s 2,730 mile trip across the country the entire time. Each runner ran for 2 miles at a time and then resting for three and a half hours until it was their turn to run again. The book documents everything from the planning stages to the execution of the relay, and touches on a few ways that the run effected the athletes afterward.
The book includes a lot of information about the trip, such as:
- a map of the route
- the author’s sketchbook
- the specs and layout of the RVs
- Short bios of all the runners and drivers
What I liked about the book is that it is a fast read that makes you feel as though you are there with them. The good things to happen on the trip are mentioned and receive the majority of the focus, but they did not shrink from allowing us to see the turmoil and the problems that they had as they went along. There are a lot of great pictures in the book (95 total) that really help to show what is happening. It was a lot of fun to read through the sketchbook at the end and compare the descriptions of events and people to what was drawn in the sketchbook.
I really like how the chapters are broken up by the accounts of other runners, the advisors, and other folk involved in the run (such as the President of RIT and the father of one of the runners). The book has a great flow and is well organized.
There were a few things that I did not like about the book. The map works really well for the 2004 route that was taken, but the 1979 route does not show up very well at all. There is no picture index, so if you are trying to find a picture you need to remember what state it was taken in or else just flip through until you find it.
The book is very reasonably priced, costing just $14.95 for the paperback version and $25.42 for the hardcover version. Because the book is produced on demand, it can take a couple weeks to receive it.
[...] The reason I am blogging about it is 2 fold. One, I have entered a drawing for a free copy of the book if I write about it. Secondly, I really would like to get my hands on a book printed by Lulu. I am very curious to see their quality. [...]
[...] If you would like to know more about Matt or to see additional photography about the Coast to Coast or his other projects, you can visit his website at http://www.m-hartman.com. If you would like to know more about the Coast to Coast run you can read the review or enter to win a free copy of the book right here at Run to Win. [...]
[...] The book is now available at Amazon.com and will soon be available in Border’s bookstores. I highly recommend you pick up a copy. You can also read my review of Coast to Coast. [...]
[...] Coast to Coast book signing next week I just heard from Ryan Pancoast that he will be doing a book signing for Coast to Coast on Friday, October 6th, at the Brick City Festival in Rochester, New York. There should also be a few of the other runners from the transcontinental relay there as well. [...]
[...] I just got an email from one of my teammates at Dirigo, Peter Hall. He is interested in reading Coast to Coast, a book about my former teammates who set the transcontinental relay record in running from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Pete pointed out to me, however, that the record that they were shooting for was not in fact the record anymore. [...]
[...] The goal is to pace my friend through a three hour marathon. His body should be able to stand up to that pretty easily. He has been training hard, and a single marathon should be easy for somebody who ran a relay from the Pacific to the Atlantic. [...]
[...] More power to him. Some friends of mine ran from the Pacific to the Atlantic in a Coast to Coast run, but they did it as a relay. I do not think that I could spend that much more time away from my family, but I am still envious of the endeavor. [...]
[...] The RIT women’s team was created as a club team my sophomore year there, and has only been a varsity sport at RIT since (I believe) 2001. Both Trisha Sliker and Jesse Williamson were a part of the 2004 Coast to Coast transcontinental relay. [...]
[...] There was an article in the Connecticut Post last week about Ryan Pancoast, his work since graduating, and his book, Coast to Coast. [...]
[...] Chris Schauerman, one of the Coast to Coast runners, recently made his way into the news because of the undergraduate research that he has been doing. The experience of running across the country with the team really brought home to Chris how important teamwork is in accomplishing a goal. How hard do you want to work, and how much do you want to put into it? That will really determine what you get out of it. [...]
[...] Coast to Coast, by Ryan Pancoast, is a great story about a transcontinental relay from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. This has a special meaning to myself, as I am friends with the group that ran it and still regret to this day my decision not to join them. [...]
[...] now that the run happened (2004) and the book was written (2006), it is time for the next step. It is time for a [...]