The Unforgiving Hours
The Grit, Resilience, and Perseverance at the Heart of Endurance Sports
$31.55
- Paperback
320 pages
- Release Date
23 September 2026
Summary
Now in paperback, an exploration of incredible physical feats—some well-known and some only passed around watering holes and campfires—that will have readers cheering.
From the frozen wilds of Alaska’s treacherous trails to the unyielding currents of Puget Sound and Canada’s Inside Passage, from the rugged majesty of Colorado’s peaks to the vibrant depths of Costa Rica’s rainforests, this book offers an intimate window into the toughest contests in sports. Whether it’…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781646048649 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1646048644 |
| Author: | Shannon Hogan |
| Publisher: | Ulysses Press |
| Imprint: | Ulysses Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 320 |
| Release Date: | 23 September 2026 |
| Weight: | 242g |
| Dimensions: | 139mm x 209mm |
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Critics Review
Finalist for Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards!
“The Unforgiving Hours is a brilliant book. For those who love adventure, taking on great challenges, examining what drives people to push their limits, this is the perfect read. A clarion to the possibilities at all ages in life.”
–Lynne Cox“The Unforgiving Hours provides a front row seat into some of the most extreme events created for those who can’t resist the challenge to go where no one has gone before.”
–Pete Penseyres“Hogan’s book [is] difficult to put down. With a writing style that rivals Christopher McDougall’s (Born to Run) penchant for abandoning the story line to investigate culture and historical background, Shannon Hogan, herself an endurance athlete, provides an aside-laden approach to each accomplishment.”–Trail Runner
“Inspiring….The vivid recreations of grueling races capture the adrenaline of endurance competition, serving as testaments to the virtues of grit and perseverance. This will have readers cheering.”–Publishers Weekly
“Magnificent. I started noting the turns of phrases that caught my eye, and soon it was evident that I was marking every paragraph. So good. Thank you, Shannon Hogan, for doing this for the sport of cycling in America.”–Michael Shermer, Race Across America co-founder and former race director
“Need something to read this summer? Check out this collection of some of the gnarliest, most death-defying tales in the history of endurance sports….fascinating.”–GearJunkie.com
“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.”–Billy Yang, filmmaker, ultrarunner and Western States 100 board member
Shannon Hogan
Shannon Hogan is a former pro mountain biker, ultrarunner, and open-water swimmer based in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state. She is the first female finisher of La Ruta de Los Conquistadores mountain bike race in Costa Rica. She holds the women’s course record for the Pigtails Challenge 100K run and has successfully navigated multiple ridiculous-distance ultraruns, including a buckle-finish at Leadville Trail 100 and a sub-24-hour finish at the Javelina Jundred 100-mile run. Hogan has crewed every kind of endurance race on land and sea, including over eight hours of kayak support for an English Channel-qualifying swim. The mother of two graceful girls raised on the trail, Hogan has completed the Escape from Alcatraz swim, is a five-time finisher of the Ironman 140.6-mile triathlon and is a seven-time finisher of the Leadville Trail 100 bike race. A devotee of salt water, she swims year-round in Puget Sound without a wetsuit as a proud member of the Notorious Alki Swimmers. After ten consecutive Boston Marathon finishes, the merciless hills of Newton still leave her cracked. Lately her favorite recurring adventure is the Breck Epic, a six-day mountain bike stage race in Breckenridge, Colorado once described as ‘Part chess match. Part recovery contest. Part DISCO INFERNO.’ She is old enough to know better, but young enough to do these things anyway. Hogan has written about cycling, running, and open-water swimming.
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