“Hogan’s book [is] difficult to put down. With a writing style that rivals Christopher McDougall’s (Born to Run) penchant for abandoning the story line to investigate culture and historical background, Shannon Hogan, herself an endurance athlete, provides an aside-laden approach to each accomplishment.” – TrailRunner“Need something to read this summer? Check out this collection of some of the gnarliest, most death-defying tales in the history of endurance sports….fascinating.” – GearJunkie.com“Inspiring….The vivid recreations of grueling races capture the adrenaline of endurance competition, serving as testaments to the virtues of grit and perseverance. This will have readers cheering.” – Publishers Weekly“Shannon Hogan’s The Unforgiving Hours is a powerful ode to the endurance athletes who inspire us to dream bigger and dig deeper. Each page is a testament to the courage and determination that push humanity forward.” – Billy Yang, filmmaker, ultrarunner and Western States 100 board member“Magnificent. I started noting the turns of phrases that caught my eye, and soon it was evident that I was marking every paragraph. So good. Thank you, Shannon Hogan, for doing this for the sport of cycling in America.” – Michael Shermer, Race Across America co-founder and former race director

Shannon Hogan is a former pro mountain biker, ultrarunner, and open-water swimmer based in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state. She is the first female finisher of La Ruta de Los Conquistadores mountain bike race in Costa Rica. She holds the women’s course record for the Pigtails Challenge 100K run and has successfully navigated multiple ridiculous-distance ultraruns, including a buckle-finish at Leadville Trail 100 and a sub-24-hour finish at the Javelina Jundred 100-mile run. Hogan has crewed every kind of endurance race on land and sea, including over eight hours of kayak support for an English Channel–qualifying swim. The mother of two graceful girls raised on the trail, Hogan has completed the Escape from Alcatraz swim, is a five-time finisher of the Ironman 140.6-mile triathlon and is a seven-time finisher of the Leadville Trail 100 bike race. A devotee of salt water, she swims year-round in Puget Sound without a wetsuit as a proud member of the Notorious Alki Swimmers. After ten consecutive Boston Marathon finishes, the merciless hills of Newton still leave her cracked. Lately her favorite recurring adventure is the Breck Epic, a six-day mountain bike stage race in Breckenridge, Colorado once described as “Part chess match. Part recovery contest. Part DISCO INFERNO.” She is old enough to know better, but young enough to do these things anyway. Hogan has written about cycling, running, and open-water swimming.