Cross Country

A 3700-Mile Run to Explore Unseen America

De: Rickey Gates

Narrado por: Rickey Gates

In 2017, professional runner Rickey Gates ran 3,700 miles across the continental United States with just a small backpack and an anthropologist's curiosity to discover the divided America in which we live.

In the book Cross Country, Gates documents this epic experience from South Carolina to San Francisco, sharing first-person essays and interviews from the ordinary and extraordinary people and places he saw along the way.

While Gates delivers unparalleled insight into the extreme athletic and mental challenge of this transcontinental run, running is not the core focus of Cross Country—it is a story of the remarkable people across the United States who we would otherwise never meet.

• A travelogue that follows along Rickey Gates's run across the country, and the individuals who live in it
• From South Carolina to San Francisco, the five-month-long run covers 3,700 miles of hiking trails, rivers, and roads.

Gates slept in the rain, carried meager possessions on his back, ran through the night, endured mental and physical challenges, and survived on a staple of gas station hot dogs and Pop Tarts.

Delivering a patchwork portrait of America, Gates's captivating story captures the spirit of our country—that grit, determination, and compassion are qualities that can unite us all.

Across the US felt like a short journey

It’s perfect that Rickey narrates his own story. His gentle voice brings the listener right along on his pilgrimage. Beginning with the surprising disruption of the 2016 election, his trip affirms some of the beauty of America and humanity shared by Americans. Part geography, part anthropology, part vagabond tale, this book is both personal and broad. It is a perfect companion to take along on a few runs, but it feels over a little too soon.

Not worth it

My apologies to the author but this was drab. No need to drag out a review of a boring book with a wordy review but there’s not much in this book to remember.

A good start, but incomplete novel.

Ricky states at the beginning that he's not following through with his goals both personally and professionally. His book is no exception. It never achieves its objective by a long shot and is VERY short. overall disappointed in something that could have been great settles on just mediocre.