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  • Broken Open: Mountains, Demons, Treadmills and a Search for Nirvana

  • Written by: David Clark
  • Narrated by: David Clark
  • Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (33 ratings)

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Broken Open: Mountains, Demons, Treadmills and a Search for Nirvana cover art

Broken Open: Mountains, Demons, Treadmills and a Search for Nirvana

Written by: David Clark
Narrated by: David Clark
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Publisher's Summary

David Clark is a formerly obese alcoholic and fast food junkie who found a new life in running. Now, 13 years after his transformation, he shares his inspiring story of taking running to the extreme edge of his physical and spiritual breaking points. Having run more than a hundred races, including the Leadville 100-Mile Trail Run and the Hardrock 100, David has achieved unimaginable success in the ultramarathon world, considering his humble start. From barely finishing his first 5k to running 100 miles in less than 18 hours, David shatters the notion that the front of the pack is a birthright.

Among his many outlandish adventures, David talks about doing 10 epic events in one year to celebrate his 10th year of sobriety. This mind-bending year of running included running the Boston Marathon four times in one day, running 343 laps around a high school track, and running 48 hours on a treadmill. You will feel like you are running alongside him as he navigates his vision quest - all the while hallucinating and breaking from reality in one of the most epic Badwater 135 race experiences ever told.

David’s story is raw, honest, and pure adrenaline-laden inspiration as he shares his unique brand of Americana and heavy metal Buddhism. This book has far more to offer than just miles traveled and mountains climbed. It's about trying to find a way station of balance somewhere in a world of extremes. It’s about running to create a legacy and develop your own inner strengths. After listening to Broken Open, you’ll never doubt how strong you can be, how much you can endure, or whether or not you are capable of finding true happiness.

©2018 David Clark (P)2019 David Clark

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What listeners say about Broken Open: Mountains, Demons, Treadmills and a Search for Nirvana

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Tough to listen to

There’s a lot of ways to interpret “tough to listen to”. David bares it all telling his story. It’s tough to listen to his indiscretions, it’s tough to listen to when he falls, and fails. He is very humble with his triumphs.
I don’t know David. But it’s seems he is telling an honest recollection of his monkey mind from 2005 onward.
We get to know Desmond too. THAT, was a tough listen. That whole chapter was friggin dark.
I’m not sure that the brutal honesty, the cleansing, the unveiling of your darkest self was necessary. Not Desmond, your cheating on your first wife. I’ve been there. I’ve confronted that one too, it’s a skeleton best left in the closet. We all have them. Although it’s those skeletons that make us who we are, and if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s what made us better humans being.
Normally, I listen to a book in days. This one took me weeks. This was not one of my favorite books. But maybe it should be. He rambles, but what he gives you is incredibly crystal clear pictures with his words. In a way, this book is a gift. Clarity. Honesty. Life. Learning. Emotion. Recovery. Relationships.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Emotional, motivational, not for runners

Runners may get the wrong message - overstretch yourself, run without a plan, it's all emotional out there, plans don't matter, just run as hard as you can. Otherwise, it's an entertaining read with a lot of emotional storytelling. Too many unnecessary f-bombs, like a kid who tried to look all grown up by using the bad words.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful and challenging

As a person who has never heard of David before I found this book I was thrilled to find that we are very similar. This book has made me reflect on my own sobriety and my own need to run ultras. I got far more then I expected with this book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • JV
  • 2021-11-21

Exceptional

One of the finest if not the finest book I've listened to on running and turning one's life around. Just so much raw human emotion and relatability. Bravo.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't Stop Listening

Raw Truthful Engaging! It let me see what the purpose of being fully in something is really about.

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  • Mr J M J Paul
  • 2019-07-23

Interesting story but...

He has a great story of recovery but for me this audiobook could have been better: (1) during recording a pop-shield on the mic wasn’t used so we hear the constant click of saliva and swallowing (2) the recovery story is great but this is also billed as a book about ultra-running and, for me, the didactic part is too strong (3) there’s nothing wrong with patriotism, but in this book it’s very overt and, as a non-American, that’s uncomfortable -

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8 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Langer
  • 2020-01-05

Insightful read

Having been a runner for 20+ years & the son of an alcoholic who struggles at times to keep the same demon inside me silent...this book hit home. Many times I’ve wondered if I’m simply trading 1 addiction for another & what happens when I stop running. Hoping this book helps me find the inner strength to find myself in the same way before unlacing for the last time.
Thank you for sharing your story & valuable insights. Definitely worth reading/listening to!

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • sonny lee owen
  • 2019-06-25

supremely open .

the most honest account I've been apart of to date. a true gem of honesty

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Lavender scent
  • 2020-03-02

raw, true, and unbelievable

David Clark walks you through his struggle to find happiness. Listen on a good long run.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2020-03-29

Awesome book very inspirational!

Looking for a good listen this is it I couldn't stop listening & looked forward to my time to listen. He's so expansive on explaining his story & the voice is perfect. Thank you!!!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2019-07-28

hate it

I really tried, but it's a toxic book. it's really annoying to claim to be "well read", but it's clearly obvious he just read the pop versions on certain topics. I'm specifically talking about how he casually throws around words like quantum mechanics, as though he understands the topic. but that's minor. my real issue is the running. it doesn't seem to be for the sake of running, but for a more selfish reason. whatever, it's a toxic book that brings me down everytime I listen.

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3 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • WhatItIs
  • 2021-08-30

Total loss of a credit.

Couldn't get much past Chapter 4. Was expecting more on actual running instead of the author's mental-babble.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • Paul Chipopa
  • 2019-09-11

Must Read

The book took me through the journey through David’s life and his discovery of his inner self through running. I love the fact that he was not judgie about other pipo who a different lifestyle from his such as diet.

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  • 867-5309
  • 2022-01-29

Not at all about running

I got this book because I wanted to see ultra running through the eyes of someone who had done it.

There were a couple chapters about running, but it was mostly a very disjointed memoir coupled with weak but incessant preaching about the benefits of becoming a patriotic vegan Buddhist.

This book advertises that he's fighting demons while running, which I thought was metaphoric, but it turns out that it's quite literal - and likely has to do with poor mental health due to malnourishment. There seems to be difficulty with breaking away from who he used to be and the trauma he suffered through for a very long time, yet somehow the story doesn't feel like triumph, it feels like he writes for a therapeutic release (which is a good idea, but it ought to have been marketed as such).

It was not at all what I thought it was going to be. You should know that before you spend your credit or money.

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1 person found this helpful

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  • Lia Soffia Ludovica
  • 2021-08-20

Painful. Like paying to listen to his therapy.

I tried listening to this twice, almost a year apart. Never made it past chapter five. Listening to the author dramatically brag about his past “mistakes” and bad choices (oh, was he complaining? With all the drama it was difficult to tell the difference).
There was nothing encouraging about this audio book. Why anyone would choose to listen to this I will never know

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1 person found this helpful