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Dying to Run
By Matt FitzgeraldRead by Justin Price
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Published on Sep 08, 2026 | 7 Hours 29 Minutes
In a battle for survival and self-acceptance, Matt Fitzgerald is willing to risk it all to outrun chronic illness.
When sports journalist and bestselling author Matt Fitzgerald is struck by long COVID, his lifelong passion—running—becomes a distant memory, leaving him trapped in a failing body that simply won’t cooperate. After authoring dozens of books and articles on athletes pushing the limits of human endurance, Fitzgerald is now forced to confront his own limits in ways he never imagined. Doctors have no answers and every day feels like an endless loop of misery and mental fog, but Fitzgerald is determined to reclaim his life and his passion.
Despite serious health risks, lack of training, and a body that has become utterly unreliable, he makes the reckless decision to run a 100-km ultramarathon in a record-breaking desert heatwave. It’s an audacious gamble that could cost him dearly, but Fitzgerald won’t surrender to chronic illness without a fight.
Drawing inspiration from ancient philosophy, modern psychology, and epic tales from Greek mythology, Fitzgerald embarks on a grueling physical and spiritual journey to discover what it truly means to live when your body betrays you. He has no idea if he’ll find redemption or ruin in the scorching heat of the Sonoran Desert, but one thing is certain: This is a race he can’t afford to lose.
When sports journalist and bestselling author Matt Fitzgerald is struck by long COVID, his lifelong passion—running—becomes a distant memory, leaving him trapped in a failing body that simply won’t cooperate. After authoring dozens of books and articles on athletes pushing the limits of human endurance, Fitzgerald is now forced to confront his own limits in ways he never imagined. Doctors have no answers and every day feels like an endless loop of misery and mental fog, but Fitzgerald is determined to reclaim his life and his passion.
Despite serious health risks, lack of training, and a body that has become utterly unreliable, he makes the reckless decision to run a 100-km ultramarathon in a record-breaking desert heatwave. It’s an audacious gamble that could cost him dearly, but Fitzgerald won’t surrender to chronic illness without a fight.
Drawing inspiration from ancient philosophy, modern psychology, and epic tales from Greek mythology, Fitzgerald embarks on a grueling physical and spiritual journey to discover what it truly means to live when your body betrays you. He has no idea if he’ll find redemption or ruin in the scorching heat of the Sonoran Desert, but one thing is certain: This is a race he can’t afford to lose.
Author
Matt Fitzgerald
Matt Fitzgerald is an acclaimed endurance sports and nutrition writer and a certified sports nutritionist. He is the bestselling author of more than a dozen books on running and fitness, including 80/20 Running, Brain Training for Runners, Racing Weight, and Iron War, which was long-listed for the 2012 William Hill Sports Book of the Year. He is a columnist on Competitor.com and Active.com, and has contributed to Bicycling, Men’s Health, Triathlete, Men’s Journal, Outside, Runner’s World, Shape, and Women’s Health. He lives in San Diego, California.
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