Run or Die, by Kilian Jornet

If you follow ultrarunning at all, you're familiar with Kilian Jornet.  He's only 25, but he has already won the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 3 times, won Western States, and set the record for the ascent/descent of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  He's a phenomenal runner and an inspiration to those who see him run.

Unfortunately, the inspiration has a hard time coming through in his new book, Run or Die.  Reading Run or Die is certainly an interesting experience, essentially a stream-of-consciousness race report on some of Kilian's big runs: his trans-Pyrennes run, UTMB, WS (his first race there, when he came in third), and his Mt. Kilimanjaro run.  We read the blow-by-blow of the runs, as well as his reflections on life and running.

For me, Run or Die misses the most important element of a running book: inspiring me to get up and run.  Rather than feeling like, "Wow! That's a lot of running! I want to go run now!" I felt like "Hmm. That guy runs a lot. I don't think I can run like that. What's for dinner?"  I realize this is more a reflection on me than on Kilian, but I have read plenty of running memoirs that inspire me to lace them up and head out the door.

Kilian will be fun to watch as his career continues.  It seems like he has what it takes to dominate the sport of trail running for many years to come.  I will be interested to read his next book, maybe 5-10 years down the road, when, I think, he'll have more to share.



Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!