Not many people would go for a short run, much less race as they approached 80 years old, but for biologist and ultrarunner Bernd Heinrich, age is no reason to slow down or to give up on one more 50-kilometer race. In Racing the Clock, Heinrich effortlessly melds his love of running with his love of observing the natural world, resulting in a book that combines memoir and naturalist's diary; he considers the relationship between himself and nature through the physical and spiritual or emotional aspects of long-distance racing. The author of Why We Run and The Naturalist's Notebook turns away from the question of why this sport is so biologically engrained in humanity, and instead looks at what can be learned from how bodies--human and otherwise--change and adapt across the life cycle.
Readers will run vicariously through his memories of races and training long past. More recent notable ventures include tracking a deer through a snow-covered forest and running for several hours in order to keep up with it. Heinrich inspiringly writes of running, "It is the beauty of excellence, seeing what can be done. That is what inspiration is, a source of the real that one can empathize with and join in spirit if not in body. We become one. That alone makes running precious." Through Heinrich's expansive observations, readers will also find a candid account of aging gracefully and of finding community through solitary activities. They'll also discover new ways to understand purpose, health and happiness. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer