trail running literature

hi everybody,

i am currently writing my master-thesis concerning trail running and trail running events. i would be very greatful if somebody can give me hints regarding literature (history of trail running, trends, reports, etc.).

thanks a lot,

raimund

Hi raimund,

There's an excellent book about trail running written by Guillaume Millet (in french only). The book is called Ultra-Trail, plaisir, performance et santé.
This is the most extensive book ever written about trail running. Not so much about history in it (more about training, physiology, some statistics, etc.) but this is where it could be interesting for you: the bibliography contains 360 references.
Since Guillaume is himself a top trail runner (several times among the top10 in the UTMB and ranked also very high in the Tor des Geants last year) but also a professor at the University of St-Etienne, I'm sure you could contact him for advice about your thesis.

The O/P put me in mind of Tolkein's response to inquiries by grad students who wished to premise their theses upon academic analysis of his work, basically: you destroy the ball by cutting it open to discover the source of its bounce.

Trail running, and especially ultrarunning, is a visceral endeavor whose composition is a evanescent combination of transcendental physical and mental achievement, which makes it nearly impossible to categorically quantify or describe as an activity; though certainly participants can benefit from more scientific discussions about tangential subjects like mechanical form, training/recovery cycles, and nutrition.

Though your project is long over at this point, rai, I'd suggest to others the following source, which is no more than a compilation of honest essays by participants about their trials, tribulations, and motivations for trail/ultra running - and that has proven a great source of inspiration to me throughout the years, as attested by it's tattered cover and loosened binding: "Running Through The Wall" (Neal Jamison)./K