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Title: Explorers of the Infinite: The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Athletes-and What They Reveal About Near-Death Experiences, Psychic Communication, and Touching the Beyond
ISBN: 1585426512
Author:
Maria Coffey
Publicate Date: 2008-05-29
Publish: 2008-05-29
List Price: $26.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $11.60
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $11.60
Amazon Merchant Price: $17.79
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| Customer Review: |
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1: good read
This is an insightful book for those non-adrenaline-seeking types, and an affirmation of what us junkies already know about pushing the limits. Easy to read in sections as it isn't one long story but interesting chapters that nicely segueway from one ot the next.
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2: Gobble this up!
Maria Coffey will be on Oprah in a few weeks (November 2008) because of this book - get a copy now and love it as much as I did! She gets right to the heart of what makes those who push physical limits tick, and does it in an incredibly palatable way. I highly recommend this book for extreme and armchair athletes alike.
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3: A Definite Readable
For those of us that spend alot of time outdoors, and on mountains, we understand completely. This book reads so well, that the read itself is its own ten star review. Yes, it really is that good of a read. Go ahead, pick it up and start understanding why you need to get up from in front of that stupid tv you are attached to at the hip. Your tv can't come close to the knowledge contained in this book, but I will say this; Banff films do. Got Banff Yet?
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4: The Higher Truths in Life through "Re-creation"
A very interesting book for ANYONE with an adventurous spirit who feels connected with nature.
I have often wondered why I only felt the connection to something bigger than me when out in nature or pushing myself to my limits. This book actually goes into the science & spirituality of it all.
"He advocated going into nature, for an experience of the sacred...to reestablish your contact with the core of things, where it's really at...
The way back to the meaning is to go out into the wilderness with an open heart, "to feel it as a mystery...something totally outside your ordinary thought patterns. The Holy Other."
In other words, push yourself beyond what you think you are capable of and share the real rawness of the outdoors and there is no doubt you will come back a richer person.
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5: An Engaging Gem for the Athlete and Non-Athlete.
I bought Maria Coffey's "Explorers of the Infinite" a few days ago and ate it whole. This book is fascinating since it is about the endurance athlete- a group I count myself among- and what drives us. I've been privleged enough to participate in about 250 triathlons, the Marathon des Sables (154 mile desert running race),the Eco-Challenge and the Raid Gauloises and the Jordan Desert Cup 105 mile running race as well as the Antarctic marathon. It is nice to read ideas about what makes a fellow like me "tick".
"Explorers of the Extreme" is perhaps one of the first really credible, readable and entertaining examinations of the endurance athlete's psyche, motives, mindset and even "spirituality". Coffey is apparently not an endurance athlete herself but treats our kind with loving adoration. If you are a marathon runner, triathlete, surfer, cyclist or other "extreme" or endurance sport athlete you'll appreciate the insights and feel some of the pages in Coffey's book become an interesting mirror. This is also a fantastic read for an athlete's spouse who may have questions about why a person would ever subject themselves to the rigors of preparation and participation in endurance/extreme/risk sports.
Coffey explores the extreme athlete mentality from mountaineering to ultra-running to the Tour de France and even more amazing feats like free diving and extreme skydiving. It is refreshing to read a respectful treatment of our sub-species, the endruance/extreme athlete. Other books I've read on the motives and inner realm of us freaks treat us with a sort of detached disdain and label our motives as self-destructive and self grandizing. Coffey sees other inspirations as told to her by the people in the sports themselves.
There is also a readable and engaging thread throughout the book of the sociological theories behind risk and endurance sports, a particularly fascinating one pertaining to surfing.
This book is a delight and makes you feel good about being an endurance athlete, a rare breed, a risk taker. It is interesting to read about the ideas that may shape our motives. Highly recommended- great read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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