Pages: 290

Chapters: Three parts, 53 chapters

Time of Day to Read: Anytime

Format: Paperback

First Print: 2023

If you live in Australia or you are a part of running community you should know the name Nedd Brockman, if not I assume you live under a rock. This man oozes charisma, has a white blonde mullet  to match said charisma and can put his body through things that make normal humans shudder.

This book starts off by going through his formative years and some key influences into the make-up of his psyche. Namely these are his parents and their attitudes and values towards life that shaped the man we see today. It then follows his athletic pursuits, being 50 marathons in 50 days and his run across Australia, delving into the mental fortitude used to complete these.

There are quotes and nuggets of gold on most pages. My favourite, “Sometimes we set out to achieve something and fall short. Sometimes we don’t get the things we want. But far from being failures, we are elevated by the act of trying and carried higher by out refusal to quit.” This speaks to me on a few levels. Firstly the act of starting something is sometimes the hardest part. Secondly, you need to be taking something away from your adversity.

In short this is a great read. It will make you get out of bed when your alarm next rings on that cold winter’s morning. But more importantly, it shows you what the power of consistently showing up and doing the same thing over and over can do. Nedd had a particularly tough day early on in the piece and said “The task today is 100Km. That’s all I want to think about. Don’t portray it as the first brick laid of the Great Wall of China.”