Racing
the Antelope
"The human experience is
populated by dreams and aspirations. For me, the animal totem of
these dreams is the antelope, swift, strong, and elusive. we
chase after 'antelope,' and sometimes we catch them. Often we
don't. But why do we bother?
I think it is because without
dream 'antelopes' to chase we become what a lapdog is to a wolf.
And we are inherently more like wolves than lapdogs, because the
communal chase is part of our biological makeup."
In 1981, Bernd Heinrich, a lifelong
runner, decided to test his limits at age forty-one and race in
the North American 100-Kilometer Championship race in
Chicago.
To improve his own preparations as a
runner, he wondered what he could learn from other animals--what
makes us different and how we are the same--and what new
perspective these lessons could shed on human evolution.
A biologist and award-winning nature
writer, he considered the flight endurance of insects and birds,
the antelope's running prowess and limitations, the ultra endurance
of the camel, and the remarkable sprinting and jumping skills of
frogs.
Exploring how biological adaptations
have granted these creatures "superhuman" abilities,
he looked at how human physiology can or cannot replicate these
adaptations.
Drawing on his observations and
knowledge of animal physiology and behavior, Heinrich ran the
race, and the results surprised everyone--himself most of all.
In Racing the Antelope,
Heinrich applies his characteristic blend of scientific inquiry
and philosophical musing to a deft exploration of the human
desire--even need--to run.
His rich prose reveals what
endurance athletes can learn about the body and the spirit from
other athletes in the animal kingdom.
He then takes you into the heart of
his own grueling 100-kilometer ultramarathon, where he puts into
practice all that he has discovered about the physical,
spiritual--and primal--drive to win.
At once lyrical and scientific, Racing
the Antelope melds a unique blend of biology, anthropology,
psychology, and philosophy with Heinrich's passion for running
to discover how and why we run.
