This month’s book is personal. The author is a family friend as his parents and my in-laws are close friends with my wife and the author growing up knowing each other. The author was a New York City Firefighter who was also a tri-athlete. He competed in marathons and ironman triathlon competitions, the longest and most grueling triathlon race around. In his book, "The Long Run", Matt Long talks about how he was, in an instant riding his bike to work on a cold December morning and in the next instant impaled on his bike underneath a New York City Transit Bus! It is the story of his journey from that fateful day to once again be called an Ironman and the courage needed to make the story unfold.

To put the injury in perspective, in the first 17 hours after the accident, Matt needed 48 units of blood and was still in critical condition and barely alive. That was December 2005. In the span of nearly three years he would go through a painful recovery process to, not only learn how to walk again, but to run as well. So well, in fact, that he started, and finished the 2008 New York City marathon in just over seven hours. Having run the race several times myself, I can only imagine the mental strength required to finish.

However, Matt was an Ironman before the accident and he was determined to be one again. In the summer of 2009 in Lake Placid, Matt Long once again entered the water to begin his quest for Ironman status. In order to become an Ironman, an athlete must complete the 2-mile swim, the 114-mile bike and the 26.2-mile run all under 17 hours. After a grueling 9 hours in the water and on the bike, he needed to finish the marathon distance in roughly eight hours. Just before midnight, he crossed the finish line in 16 hours, 58 minutes and 3 seconds, less than 2 minutes to spare. He was once again an Ironman!

 

Enjoy the Book!