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Ultrarunning for the Kids
Helvetiq sent me a copy of Doug Mayer’s new graphic novel, The Last of the Giants, and my 5 year old son (who’s inexplicably obsessed with trail running and idols like Dan Green) was as stoked as I was. Before I could even crack it open, he took it out of my hands.
He treated it like his new best friend, flipping through the pages.
To be clear: this isn’t a kids’ book. It’s a deep dive into one of the world’s toughest races, the Tor des Géants.
The Last of the Giants: those illustrations
But those illustrations? Man, they’re so vibrant and captivating that even a kindergartener couldn’t resist. It turned into this perfect mash-up of my ultrarunning passion with visuals that kept him engaged, and words that had me hooked. Win-win.
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About Doug Mayer
[listen to the podcast with Doug Mayer here]
For those who don’t know, Doug Mayer is basically the go-to guy for Alps trail running in the U.S. He’s the founder of Run the Alps, a tour company that guides runners through the European mountains, and he’s lived in Chamonix for years.
He’s also a journalist who’s written for outlets like Outside and Trail Runner, and he produced segments for NPR’s Car Talk back in the day.
His previous book, The Race that Changed Running, is a killer breakdown of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), how it exploded from a scrappy event into the Super Bowl of trail running, reshaping the sport.
Breakdown of Tor des Géants
If you’re into the history and drama of big races, that’s a must-read. But The Last of the Giants takes it to another level, focusing on the Tor des Géants, or “Tor” as they call it.
Tor des Géants is this beast of a race in Italy’s Aosta Valley:
- 330 kilometers (about 205 miles)
- 24,000 meters (nearly 79,000 feet) of elevation gain
- 150 hour cut off
- Start/Finish: Courmayeur,
It’s not just long, it’s brutal, with steep, technical sections that demand everything from you. Minimal sleep. Weather can swing from sunny ridges to demoralizing storms.
Founded in 2010, it’s drawn thousands of finishers (and DNFs), becoming a legend for its mix of beauty and suffering. Mayer’s completed it three times himself, so he knows the pain intimately.
Part Fiction + Part Non-Fiction: the Last of the Giants
In the book, Mayer blends his real experiences with fiction through the character Sam Hill, a runner fighting with personal demons amid the race’s chaos. It’s not your standard race report. It’s a graphic novel illustrated by William Windrestin, whose artwork uses saturated color and hand-of-the-artist type sketched lines.
They play with layouts and space-time to capture the disorientation of ultra fatigue.
Mayer weaves in insights from a Buddhist monk, a brain scientist, and endurance pros to explore deeper themes:
Why do we push ourselves? What happens when you “meet the dragon”—that pivotal crisis where superficial motivations crumble, forcing you to dig into your core “why”? It’s about resilience, vulnerability, and growth, applying ultra lessons to life stuff like career pivots or family struggles.
Reading it with my son was a blast. I feel a tad guilty admitting I prioritize books that entertain me too when storytime rolls around. But if a book bridges his love for pictures of runners and my fascination with the mental grind of 200-mile sufferfests then why not?
The Last of the Giants nails that balance, making ultra lore accessible.
If you’re a trail junkie, parent, or just curious about human limits, grab this. It’s out now in English (and French), and it’ll leave you inspired. Doug Mayer’s nailed it again, turning Tor’s mythology into something profound and fun.
