The Unforgiving Hours

The Grit, Resilience, and Perseverance at the Heart of Endurance Sports

By: Shannon Hogan

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Hardcover | 8 April 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
304 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.54

Hardcover

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An exploration of incredible physical feats—some well-known and some only passed around watering holes and campfires—"that will have readers cheering" by endurance athlete and journalist Shannon Hogan that takes us into the world of those who have pushed themselves through the “unforgiving hours” to achieve greatness and redefine modern outdoor adventuring. (Publishers Weekly)

From the frozen wilds of Alaska’s treacherous trails and the rugged majesty of Colorado’s peaks to the unyielding currents of Puget Sound and Canada’s Inside Passage, The Unforgiving Hours offers us an intimate window into the toughest contests in sports. Whether it’s a blistering race across the furnace trails of gold country in the Sierra Nevadas, a grueling swim in frigid water to break the Ice Mile Distance record, or a competition on the biggest triathlon stage with a determination beyond perceived limitations, each journey reveals the resilience and humor it takes to face the unknown and achieve endurance sports greatness. These stories of ordinary women and men who kept going even when things went wrong, especially when the weather and tides did not cooperate, attest to the drive, grit, and patience that exists in all of us. Pushing through exhaustion, setbacks, and moments of darkness and doubt, these athletes prove that greatness isn’t about perfection—it’s about perseverance. Their triumphs, large and small, are a testament to the power of adaptability, passion, and the sheer will to keep going, one breath, one step, one stroke, and one mile at a time.

In the pages of The Unforgiving Hours, you will read the stories of:
Gunhild Swanson running the Western States 100 Endurance Run five days shy of her seventy-first birthday
Kelly Danielson and team Sail Like a Girl, the first all-female sailing team to win the Race to Alaska
Gordon Wadsworth racing the hardest mountain bike race in the world while opting for only one bike gear
Lynne Cox breaking the record for swimming across the English Channel at age 15
Yuichiro Hidaka dreaming of eating potato chips while running the Boston double for the fourth time
Seana Hogan, the current cycling transcontinental female record holder (set at age 35) fighting the race clock and Father Time to finish Race Across America at age 60
John Stamstad voyaging to Alaska for an all-night February bike race in the bush of the Last Frontier
Melissa Kegler training for two years to break the American Ice Mile Distance record in 39.2ºF water
Chris Jones embarking on The Last Great Race—six 100-mile ultramarathons to be completed over the course of one summer
And Tina Ament, along with Anne Thilges, crossing the finish line at 16 hours, 18 minutes, and 5 seconds to establish one of the most inspiring records in endurance sports.

Blending top-notch sports writing, armchair adventure and travel, and an insightful thesis on the human spirit, The Unforgiving Hours is an indelible chronicle of odysseys that showcase the determination, creativity, joy, strength, and inspiration at the heart of endurance sports.

Industry Reviews

“Shannon Hogan’s The Unforgiving Hours is a powerful ode to the endurance athletes who inspire us to dream bigger and dig deeper. Each page is a testament to the courage and determination that push humanity forward.”

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