At age 64
Rick Mater’s goal was to run the Grand Canyon in less than six hours. His plan
was to run from the top to the bottom and back: a 17-mile round trip. The challenge had a caveat: Rick had suffered a massive heart attack five years earlier, and he’d had four stents placed in
his heart.
Marathon runners are at greater risk for
cardiac events. In his specific case the
risk was even greater. His running habit had become a matter of medical controversy.
Despite the warnings, Rick managed to resume his running routine while coping
with the uncertainty of his medical condition.
Rick Mater describes distance running as
something liberating, exhilarating and fun. When he joined the Boy Scouts as a
child, he did not feel at ease in the system imposed on him. His free spirit
did not welcome the rigidity of such an environment:
“I’d been
a Boy Scout once, when I was ten years old, only to find myself at odds with
the rules and the structure, the quasi-military nature of it: uniforms, earning
achievements, badges, learning the different types of rope knots…”
He preferred to explore nature by himself: “The
entire time I wished I could go off by myself to a lake that was nearby and
just enjoy spotting sunbathing turtles. Maybe find some frogs and tadpoles.”
The description of the geology of the Grand
Canyon can be considered a metaphor of his own unpredictable situation when he
made the decision to pursue his goal to run the Grand Canyon:
“The Great Unconformity was off-kilter, full
of faults, layers at sharp angles, and disorganized sections of hardened primal
sediment.” His narrative explores the history of the Grand Canyon, incorporating
Native American history, geology, and environmental concerns. It kindled my
interest to learn more about the environmental challenges of the region.
I did not know that so many people had lost
their lives hiking and running in the Grand Canyon. Rick takes the time to
share their heartbreaking stories.
The author narrates the challenges of being a
devoted runner while weaving into his memoir chapters about his past life: the
crises of his youth, when he considered the possibility of ending his life; the
laborious battle to become a parent after he married Kathy; the loss of their
first baby (Josh) and the birth of their daughters; the first time he was
diagnosed with coronary artery disease and the vulnerability he experienced
when he was hospitalized for the first procedure (the angioplasty):
“I lay on my own gurney, clad in a pale
hospital gown, wearing only my underwear underneath, stripped of my Blackberry,
cellphone, wallet, keys—all taken away in a bag of personal possessions along
with my clothes and shoes. Kathy stood nearby, protective, running interference
for me with the medical staff.”
The end of the
book has its own surprises. I avoid spoilers, so I will simply finish this post
by pointing out that Six Hours: Running for My Life in the Grand Canyon is a
memoir with the potential to inspire you to do whatever makes your heart sing, and
to embrace your passions with joy and gratitude. It is about focusing on the juice—the life force-- that makes everything flow. Amid the uncertainty we may
have to contend with, we can still claim our space to celebrate what our life force has to offer.
Enjoy this
reading adventure and ask yourself: what would you do if you knew you had six
months left to live?
Rick Mater’s memoir will lead you toward that
question at some point, so be prepared… would you do anything different?
Richard
Lewis Mater is a longtime runner and Emmy-nominated TV executive living in Los
Angeles. He was born in Pinner, England, and grew up in California, New Jersey,
and Munich, Germany. He has run the Grand Canyon twice as a cardiac patient.
You can learn more about his books by visiting his site.
I received a
copy of his book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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