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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>The author discusses the incredible growth of organized marathons around the world as well as the growth of many other sporting events (i.e. ultras, trail races, triathlons, ironmans, duathlons, cycling races, 10Ks, and 5Ks). This growth is occurring irrespective of gender, age, body shape or size, ethnicity, culture, or country.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><strong>A World Gone Mad for Marathons</strong> is a book about the incredible growth of organized marathons around the world as well as the growth of many other sporting events (i.e. ultras, trail races, triathlons, IRONMANs, duathlons, cycling races, 10Ks, and 5Ks). This growth is occurring irrespective of gender, age, body shape or size, ethnicity, culture, or country. For numerous reasons, millions of people around the world are signing up for sporting events and saying 'Go.'</p><p>In the past 10 years, the number of marathons worldwide has tripled (from around 2,000 in 2009 to an anticipated 6,000 by the end of 2019). The world's most famous marathons (e.g. New York, London, Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago, etc...) have resorted to lotteries to allow runners in. One of the newest countries on the high speed marathon train is China. In just the past few years, cities with absolutely no history or experience in hosting marathons are doing so and tens of thousands of runners sign up within the first few hours. The IRONMAN in Vietnam recently held its fifth race and it sold out rapidly. A 5K Color Me Run in Ho Chi Minh City (the former Saigon) had over 13,000 runners in May 2018.</p><p>The '<em>why is this happening</em>' question is one of the themes of this book. Some additional questions are '<em>who are these athletes</em>' and '<em>how do race directors pull it off</em>?' Through its 10 chapters, the book looks at the primary drivers of this trend such as community, overcoming adversity, responding to stress and depression, and other causes. Each chapter profiles an athlete who shares his or her story on why they are so driven to just keep running and competing. The author also shares his own humorous efforts to complete a marathon. In fact, it was one of his own.</p><p>The author, Sam Korsmoe, is a Montana race director who, over the past 12 years, has built an eight-race series in the Yellowstone region of Montana. The keystone race of the series is the Madison Marathon which is a road marathon with an average elevation of over 9,000 feet. Korsmoe is exporting part of the Yellowstone series abroad. In a witty and personal voice, he sheds light on 'the why' of this trend and offers readers a race director's insight and point of view of the athletes who do these events. This is not a '<em>how to run</em>' a marathon book, but more of a '<em>why I should also do one</em>' that is sure to inspire couch potatoes and aging athletes that they too can be part of this global phenomenon.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p><em>"'A World Gone Mad for Marathons' is a must read for everyone even vaguely interested in running. To the seasoned runner or athlete, this book is a treasure trove of anecdotes, stories, and allusions to everything the runner has obsessed about his or her whole life. For the non-runner, this is probably the best way to understand that very obsession."</em></p><p><strong>David Summerfield</strong> - Race Director of the Bridger Ridge Run (1994-2019)</p><p> </p><p><em>"Through bios of runners with extreme achievements, Sam paints a picture of a dramatic, world that all (with the right drive and much stamina) can enter and participate in. I was pleased by the variety of the marathoners described, which adds to the feeling that "anyone can do it." An energetic, enthusiastic tone helps drive the book along." </em></p><p><strong>Lois Berkowitz</strong> - President, Newsletter Editor, 50 States Marathon Club</p><p> </p><p><em>"The book is written in a style that keeps the reader "hanging on for more" as he jumps from one subject to the next and back again. By the end, all the strands of thoughts and observations, facts, compelling profiles of runners, and inspirational stories have been woven into a read that you won't put down.....</em> <em>If you are searching for a way to "turn the corner" in your life, the inspirational stories and runners profiles recounted in this book may be the reasons you challenge yourself to consider marathoning.</em></p><p><strong>Robert Bishton (a.k.a. Cowboy Jeff)</strong> - Founding Member International Marathon Globetrotters Club</p><p> </p><p><em>"It was interesting to read the personal experiences of marathoners. The connections between the author's marathon experience and the other marathoners' experiences kept the pace moving. It was fun to read the adventures of "chronic marathoners" that I am friends with. It makes me feel more "normal."</em></p><p><strong>Paula Boone</strong> - Co-Founder of the 50 States Marathon Club</p><p> </p><p><em>"The stories of the ten profiled runners demonstrate that not all heroes wear capes. In fact, they come in all shapes, sizes, gender and age. They are survivors and fighters and fearless. I admired them greatly. Community, a prime focus of the book, is apparent." </em></p><p><strong>Winnie Lok</strong> - Atlanta Track Club, Manager of Events</p><p> </p><p><em>"To be honest, I prefer running, rather than reading about it. But if you set yourself to reading a book about it, you could do a lot worse than Sam Korsmoe's 'A World Gone Mad for Marathons' I had not expected that you could write so much about running, but he managed to keep me spellbound throughout the book with very recognizable running stories and personalities."</em></p><p><strong>Sytze Jarigsma</strong> - Founder of the Danang Hash House Harriers</p><p> </p><br>

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