As a recovering runner, I really enjoyed this book. This has been moved up in to my top five running books. Strong recommend from me.

I was hoping this book would be more focused on the subject title - "running", instead it was mostly an autobiography of Mr. Heinrich and his work as a naturalist. I just so happen to also enjoy learning about wildlife, but I feel like this book may leave astray many readers who are expecting the book to solely focus on the aging process and its effects on running (it does, but not that much). I definitely enjoyed learning about this author's career as a runner (I had never heard of him), but otherwise I feel a bit disappointed by how unfocused this book was.

Reviewed for Shelf Awareness. Full review to be found via Shelf Awareness: https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers/2021-07-09/racing_the_clock:_running_across_a_lifetime.html

I received a PRC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Bernd Heinrich is the runner you've never heard of. He's also well known in the scientific arena for his work on insect physiology and biology. He's published many scientific papers and books; he has written one book on running, Why We Run: A Natural History, which I have not read. In Racing the Clock, Heinrich once again attempts to link his observations of nature with running. The book was initially an attempt to document his goal of running a 100k at age 80. The pandemic took care of that and he shifted focus to running and aging. It's all very interesting. But for me, the stories about his running and races were much more compelling than his musings about nature. When he attempts to tie the two concepts together, to this reader, it felt a bit awkward. Yet I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn about this runner, a renaissance man who quietly made his mark on the world of running.

Racing the Clock is the author's autobiographical story of his life as a runner and his exploration of the relationship between running and nature. He uses numerous examples in his research of the natural world to attempt to answer many questions surrounding running and the human body. I found Racing the Clock to be an interesting read. As a runner and nature lover, I had a personal interest in the book and appreciated the author's story, obvious deep interest in the topic of running, and thoughtful insights throughout each chapter.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for this ARC; this is my honest and voluntary review.

A lifelong runner, though admittedly a shorter life than the author, I found this book to be quite fascinating! Whether you're a fan of nature or not, if you are a runner, you are going to learn quite a bit about yourself, your future, and the world around you through the pages of the author's experiences. If you're a nature lover, but not much of a runner, you might find yourself inspired to take up a new hobby!