I really like bucket list books. Even more, I like bucket lists that are outdoorsy. So, 50 Races to Run Before You Die was highly likely to please me.
The book is far better than I thought it might be. It’s a good size, chunky and has tons of great photography. It’s the sort of book you can pick up when you have a spare moment and flick through.
I have been doing this ever since it arrived on my desk for review. I am quite easily distracted and once I have checked my social media networks I have been taking quick looks through the book.
With 50 races to browse, each of them quite different, I have found myself checking out one race at a time, in between my work assignments.
I also like how the book is written. It’s obvious that Tobias Mews is a journalist. All details of the races are well covered. He also offers his personal perspective of taking part in the 50 races.
I have no idea how he has found the time to do all these races across the world but he is a man clearly driven and with a passion for running.
What’s in the book?
There are 50 races split into categories:
- Good for beginners
- Sucker for punishment
- Hard as nails.
There are events I have heard of, including the Tough Mudder, the New York City Marathon, parkrun, Marathon de Sables, Ultra Trail Mont-Blanc, Bob Graham Round and the Paris Marathon.
There are also those that are new to me such as the Transvulcania, Kilian’s Classik, Green Belt Relay, Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run and Grizzly.
I can see that Tobias has carefully chosen each to cover a wide range of terrains, locations and to suit all kinds of runners.
There’s even a foreword by James Cracknell, which is a coup for any book about adventure racing.
The write-ups on each race are not too long, nor too short and they are mostly inspiring. There are some races I do not fancy one tiny bit and others that I am keen to try.
This is a lovely book in many ways. It would make a great personal buy and also a perfect present for outdoorsy type people.
It’s priced at £16.99 and published by Aurum Press. It currently priced at £11.89 on Amazon.
A few words about Tobias Mews
I have not met Tobias but I have chatted to him on the phone and on social media. He’s a lovely guy and well thought of as a journalist. I guess he is one of my competitors in the writing world, but I don’t really think like that. I prefer to think we are writing for the same reasons, because we like to do so and because we want to inspire others to enjoy the things we do outdoors.
He is also a far better athlete than me (although he is younger!). He’s run seven sub three-hour marathons, twice completed the Marathon des Sables within the Elite Top 20, done multiple Ironman triathlons, including getting a coveted Black T-shirt in the Norseman, ‘completed the epic swim-run Otillo, run several times around Tour du Mont Blanc, mountain biked 800kms across South Africa in the Cape Epic, cycled the length and breadth of the UK, completed the expedition length 530km Godzone Adventure race in New Zealand and run 200 miles along the mountainous spine of Wales in the legendary Dragon’s Back Race.
I am impressed – and that takes a lot!
See his website Hard as Trails.