Off Course - by Erin Beresini (Paperback)

About the Book

From a young journalist and seasoned athlete, a funny, fist-pumping ride through the wacky world of obstacle course racing (Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, etc)

Book Synopsis

"Beresini uncovers the growing sport's most compelling characters and provides the most authoritative insiders' guide to date." --Outside

"Obstacle course racing has taken the endurance world by storm, and in Off Course Erin Beresini gives us an insider perspective into the conflict and appeal of these masochistic suffer-fests, culminating in her quest to complete the granddaddy of them all, the Spartan Ultra Beast. A must-read for anyone currently competing in, or considering taking on, one of these newfangled racing events." --Dean Karnazes, best-selling author of Ultramarathon Man

Everyone has seen the pictures on their social media feeds: friends or family wearing mud-spattered athletic gear, holding a medal to proclaim they've crossed the finish line of an intensely grueling race. Indeed, obstacle course racing is the fastest growing sport in U.S. history. Every week, thousands of athletes shell out money to run through mud and fire, crawl under barbed wire, scramble over ten-foot walls, and dodge baton-wielding gladiators.

Erin Beresini's Off Course chronicles the author's period of training and competition in obstacle course racing. As she investigates the world behind this military-inspired amateur competition and the industry surrounding it, Beresini meets the diverse characters who compete in these races and uncovers the sport's biggest scandals, lawsuits, and rivalries. And through her own race training, Erin illuminates the history, science, and psychology of this sport that is taking the endurance world by storm.

"[Beresini's] narrative has humor and heart, and a carnival of characters . . . By the end of her riotous narrative, I had to wipe mud from my glasses at least twenty-six times."--Gary M. Pomerantz, author of Their Life's Work: The Brotherhood of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, Then and Now

From the Back Cover

Obstacle course racing has taken the endurance world by storm, and in Off Course Erin Beresini gives us an insider perspective into the conflict and appeal of these masochistic suffer-fests, culminating in her quest to complete the granddaddy of them all, the Spartan Ultra Beast. A must-read for anyone currently competing in, or considering taking on, one of these newfangled racing events. Dean Karnazes, best-selling author of Ultramarathon Man

Everyone has seen the pictures on their social media feeds: friends or family wearing mud-spattered athletic gear, holding a medal to proclaim they ve crossed the finish line of an intensely grueling race. Indeed, obstacle course racing is the fastest growing sport in U.S. history. Every week, thousands of athletes shell out money to run through mud and fire, crawl under barbed wire, scramble over ten-foot walls, and dodge baton-wielding gladiators.

Erin Beresini s Off Course chronicles the author s period of training and competition in obstacle course racing. As she investigates the world behind this military-inspired amateur competition and the industry surrounding it, Beresini meets the diverse characters who compete in these races and uncovers the sport s biggest scandals, lawsuits, and rivalries. And through her own race training, Erin illuminates the history, science, and psychology of this sport that is taking the endurance world by storm.

[Beresini s] narrative has humor and heart, and a carnival of characters ... By the end of her riotous narrative, I had to wipe mud from my glasses at least twenty-six times. Gary M. Pomerantz, author of Their Life s Work: The Brotherhood of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, Then and Now

[AU PHOTO] ERIN BERESINI is a freelance journalist covering the endurance sports beat. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Outside, Men's Journal, Triathlete, and espnW. She is also a world champion triathlete, a podium finisher at Ironman, Ultraman, Xterra off-road, sprint- and Olympic-distance triathlons, as well as trail runs and ultracycling events."

Review Quotes

"Beresini uncovers the growing sport's most compelling characters and provides the most authoritative insiders' guide to date." --Outside Magazine "Beresini chronicles her personal journey as she prepares for her race, detailing the regimen and questioning, in an engaging, self-deprecating style, what such a sadistic undertaking says about the participants' sanity. A fascinating insider's view of endurance racing's latest craze." --Booklist "Funny, fast-paced" --American Way Magazine "Obstacle course racing has taken the endurance world by storm and in OFF COURSE Erin Beresini gives us an insider perspective into the conflict and appeal of these masochistic suffer-fests, culminating in her quest to complete the granddaddy of them all, the Spartan Ultra Beast. A must read for anyone currently competing in, or considering taking on, one of these newfangled racing events." --Dean Karnazes, bestselling author of Ultramarathon Man and 50/50 "Erin Beresini has gone gonzo. In OFF COURSE, she puts herself to the ultimate test in an obstacle racer's world of alphas and ultras, and Tough Mudders. Her narrative has humor and heart, and a carnival of characters. Her sharp reporting puts the reader there. By the end of her riotous narrative, I had to wipe mud from my glasses at least twenty-six times." --Gary M. Pomerantz, author of Their Life's Work: The Brotherhood of the 1970's Pittsburgh Steelers, Then and Now --