Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Amy Snyder grew up in New York City, attended university on the East coast and graduate school out West. She settled in the Boston suburbs and spent almost two decades as a management consultant. She retired young and moved to La Jolla, California, fulfilling a life-long dream to live near the ocean. To regain her fitness after the rigors of a career in business, she began competing in Ironman triathlons. At the time she believed that iron-distance races represented the ultimate test of endurance. As she settled into life as an endurance athlete, she discovered a whole new realm of “ultra-long” races that re-calibrated her understanding of where human limits lie. That’s when she learned about the Race Across America and other ultra-distance cycling events. She knew immediately that she didn’t have it in her to race such long distances, but she was curious to find out how others can and what compels them to do so. To accomplish this, she followed the Race Across America for two weeks in June 2009, driving 3,000 miles across the U.S. on back roads from west to east as she watched the top ultra-distance cyclists in the world compete in the toughest race of all. She spent time with many of the racers before and after, and ended up with a tale that needed to be told. The story of this race forever changed her own limiting thoughts and feelings, and it will yours, too.