Review: The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter's Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete by Matt Long, Charles Butler

Title: The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter's Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete
Authors: Matt Long, Charles Butler 
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Rodale Books
Publish Date: August 16, 2011
Source: Borrowed from a friend

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "On the morning of December 22, 2005, Matt Long was cycling to work in the early morning when he was struck by and sucked under a 20-ton bus making an illegal turn. The injuries he sustained pushed him within inches of his life. Miraculously, more than 40 operations and months later, Matt was able to start his recovery. In spite of the severity of his injuries, Matt found the psychological consequences of the accident nearly as hard to process. He would no longer be able to compete at the highest level.
In the 18 months before the accident, he had competed in more than 20 events including several triathlons and marathons and had qualified for running's most prestigious race, the Boston Marathon.
After the accident, his doctor told him he'd be lucky if he could even walk without a cane.

The Long Run is an emotional and incredibly honest story about Matt's determination to fight through fear, despair, loneliness, and intense physical and psychological pain to regain the life he once had. The book chronicles Matt's road to recovery as he teaches himself to walk again and, a mere three years later, to run in the 2008 New York City Marathon—a gimpy seven-and-a-half hour journey through the five boroughs. "Running saved my life," Matt says, and his embrace of the running community and insistence on competing in the marathon has inspired many, turning him into a symbol of hope and recovery for untold numbers of others."

My Two Cents:

"The Long Run" is an incredible story of one man who is a firefighter with the New York City fire department. Because of the landscape of New York City, firefighting there has to be incredibly difficult. Long is dedicated to his job and to staying in the best physical condition that he can be in to be the best firefighter he can be. Life often has plans for us that we do not expect. It can be difficult but as Long's story shows, the human spirit is something to be reckoned with and where there is a will, there is a way!

Long suffers a horrific bicycle accident. He doesn't think that he's ever going to be able to fight fires again. He definitely doesn't think that he's ever going to be able to run again. When you hear the descriptions of his injuries in this book, you will think that there's no way that he'd be able to walk again let alone run. First he stands, then he walks, then he runs and he gives readers a front seat to it all. You cannot help but to admire this man and how he is committed to doing what seems to be impossible!

This is one of those books about one of those people that has such an incredible amount of strength and want to succeed that you can't help but to be inspired. This book seems like it can't possibly be true but it is and it's one of those stories that will stick with you for a long time! It's an incredibly inspirational story that had me rooting for long throughout the book. And it's a story that I will not forget!