RISE OF THE ULTRA RUNNERS (GUARDIAN)

Ultra-running defies conventional logic. Yet this brutal and challenging sport is now one of the fastest growing in the world. Is it an antidote to modern life, or a symptom of a modern illness? Adharanand Finn travelled to the heart of the sport to find out - and to see if he could become an ultra-runner himself. His journey took him from the deserts of Oman to the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, and on to his ultimate goal, the 105-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.