BOOK CLUB REVIEW
AN UNSTOPPABLE RUNNER BY DAVID WILLIAMS
In An Unstoppable Runner, author David Williams tells the story of his lifelong running adventure. In his easy-to-read book, he describes the physical and mental challenges he’s faced in such diverse locations like the blister-making Simpson Desert, muddy New Zealand forests as well as many other international marathons and ultras. Well known ultra runner Pat Farmer (who recently ran around Australia for ‘The Voice’) wrote the foreword to this inspirational book, saying ‘David Williams has been able to tap into the very core of an ultra runner’s motivation, to discover who they really are…David
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takes us on a journey to many countries and climates through decades of time to prove that we were meant to run the corners of this world and experience every aspect of life’. And, perhaps, this is the very core of the stories told.
gels and power bars came into being;
David is able to see the funny side of the hardships we put ourselves through and certainly doesn’t hesitate to make fun of his own setbacks during training or races.
of them by going for a run; sometimes
Readers will enjoy the different quotations at the beginning of each chapter as they relate perfectly well to the contents. His stories will inspire new trail runners to get out there and find their own adventures, as well as reminding those of us who have been running the trails for decades what a long run feels like – it’ll make you want to put on your running gear and head out the door straight away. The book describes David’s running career covering more than 40 years and whilst it’s clear that he may be just an ordinary middle-of-the-pack runner, his experiences will be very familiar. Like so many of us, the story starts with building up to a 5km race, and then becoming obsessed by marathons before finding the world of trail ultras. Interestingly, David was racing in ultra marathons back in the 1980s and it was fascinating to read about how the running world was back then, before
even before proper training plans were available to everyday runners. There have been some really tough times in his life, but David dealt with many they went all-night and, although he acknowledges that he was running away from reality, those runs were essential to his mental well-being. On some level, we can all relate to how our favourite sport can help us in other ways than just keeping fit and healthy. After all those years of running ultras, David has come face-to-face with the inexorable forces of getting older and describes brilliantly the ageing factors that we all must come to terms with. He has experienced the slowing down, despite working harder and harder to fight it but he has never lost his love for the sport nor his sense of humour, which comes across so strongly. An Unstoppable Runner was written to raise funds for the Cancer Council in Australia and you can easily find copies on Amazon or, if you would like a personally signed copy, David will be delighted to mail one to you if you contact him at flinders.runner@hotmail.com
