Books
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A MILE AT A TIME
A father and son’s inspiring Alzheimer’s journey of love, adventure, and hope
By Travis and Mark “Mace” Macy
with Patrick Regan
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Trav’s resources for families navigating Alzheimer’s
A note from the authors: Book reviews are gold to us. If you like A MILE AT A TIME, please consider taking a minute to review it on Amazon. Thanks, and we appreciate your time!
A MILE AT A TIME and THE ULTRA MINDSET are available on audiobook at Libro.fm and Audible. RUNNER’S WORLD article about Mace linked here.
AUDIOBOOK PREVIEWS:
Praise for A MILE AT A TIME
“Watching Mark and Travis Macy compete together for Eco Challenge Fiji was a true inspiration. Travis’s selfless act of taking his father on what may be his last race is a story that anyone can relate to and what we need more of these days.”
--Mark Burnett, chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group; creator and producer of Survivor, The Apprentice, and World's Toughest Race: Eco Challenge Fiji
"Travis and Mace have touched a generation of families around the world with their courage, resilience and kindness."
--Bear Grylls, star of Man vs. Wild and host of World's Toughest Race: Eco Challenge Fiji
"As an endurance athlete who appreciates the benefits of testing limits and the son of a parent battling Alzheimer's disease, I know that I, along with many others, will draw valuable lessons and invaluable inspiration from A Mile at a Time."
--Matt Fitzgerald, best-selling author (Running the Dream, 80/20 Running, etc.)
''A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s means challenge and sacrifice; hard choices need to be made, clouded by the question: `What if I don’t get better?' As told in A Mile at a Time, Mark Macy and his family rose to those challenges. His story shines a light on the resilient spirit of an ultra-distance athlete, a father, a grandfather, a husband, and a good man as he battles for his life.’'
--Daniel LaPerriere MD, Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner
"A profound story of an unbreakable bond between two generations of elite athletes, father and son, beating the odds and continuing on to live extraordinary lives in spite of unimaginable obstacles. Mark and Travis continue to inspire and encourage the reader to become all they can be no matter what."
--Marshall Ulrich, bestselling author of Running on Empty and Both Feet on the Ground
Mark Macy's Journal, Oct. 12, 2018
My name is Mark Macy, I am 56 years old and today I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
My doctor, a neurologist, told me to get my affairs in order, since ALZ is invariably fatal. He advised me to not spend time worrying about this diagnosis, to instead take vacations, maybe go on a cruise with my wife, Pammy.
I told him: THIS IS BULLSHIT.
My wife just told me I am 64, not 56. Maybe it’s not complete bullshit.
But I finished day one of my Alzheimer’s diagnosis with a significant decision: I didn’t cause this disease, I’m not embarrassed to be one of the millions of people suffering from it, I’m not going to hide from it, and I’m going to share our story with anyone who wants to listen. Pammy, my son Travis, my daughters Katelyn and Dona, and I have dedicated ourselves to fighting this horrible disease that kills people all over the world.
I’m going to share our story with anyone who wants to listen and to share in our excitement when I beat this thing.
Book Overview
Mark “Mace” Macy, a thirty-year veteran of ultraendurance competitions, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2018 at age sixty-four. Whatever fears he had of losing his strength, endurance, and independence, Mace moved beyond them and began planning to participate with his son Travis—also a professional endurance athlete—in World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji, a grueling seven-day, 400-mile marathon of trekking, climbing, biking, and paddling through the jungle in 2020. A Mile at a Time tells not just the story of how father and son tackled that epic race but the broader narrative of how the Macy family, led by Mace’s relentless optimism and remarkable inner strength, rose to the challenge of dealing with a confounding disease to become closer and stronger in the face of adversity and the unknown. Excerpts from Mace’s passionate personal journal and a clear-eyed, dramatic first-person narrative by Travis come together in this inspiring book to deliver a powerful message about living—and thriving—with a disease that impacts nearly six million Americans. This timely and deeply moving account of a man and his family’s grit and fortitude provides an honest assessment of the tough truths about Alzheimer’s disease—and a heartening lesson of hope.
TRAVIS MACY has finished over 120 ultraendurance events in seventeen countries. He is a speaker, coach, record-setting professional endurance athlete, and author of The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion’s 8 Core Principles for Success in Business, Sports, and Life. Travis strives to empower others to make the most of their lives through his work as an athlete, podcaster, and writer. He lives with his wife and two young children in Salida, Colorado.
MARK “MACE” MACY is a retired attorney, grandfather, and well-known figure in the endurance sports world. With his contemporaries, he pioneered ultrarunning in the 1980s and in the 1990s did the same for adventure racing: demanding team events that require everything from rope climbing to trail running, mountain biking, white-water rafting, and even camel riding. In 2020 he became the only person to compete in an Eco-Challenge race after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
PATRICK REGAN is the author of multiple works of biography, history, humor, and lifestyle for both adults and children. He has collaborated with a long list of artists, athletes, humorists, and photographers, and his books include Dog Is My Copilot, No Other Home (with professional soccer player Matt Besler), Flipping Brilliant, and Hallmark: A Century of Caring.
AMAZING AMERICANS radio program with Jerry Schemmel: http://www.amazingamericans.org/uploads/1/2/3/5/123543720/macy_final_mixdown.mp3
A Mile at a Time Introduction
South Pacific Ocean. Fall 2019.
Forty-two hours after starting most races, you’ve long since crossed the finish line, showered, slept, had a nice dinner, and returned home. Forty-two hours after starting The World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji 2019, we were just getting going on an epic, human-powered, 671-kilometer journey. Our team of four experienced endurance athletes--me, Dad, Nellie, and Shane--had paddled from dawn until dusk on Day 1, using map and compass to navigate a traditional Fijian outrigger sailing canoe--the camakau--from Fiji’s main island across the Pacific to a smaller island where we trekked for hours up and over a jungly mountain range.
The next morning, we paddled the heavy boat for another five grueling hours into a headwind. The small island we targeted resembled the stereotypical “tropical island paradise” of movies and survival jokes: ringed by beaches, crystal waters, and coral reefs--all of which would have been exciting to see provided we could ever get there. “I swear,” Dad exclaimed as he paddled hard, despite growing pain in his 65-year-old back, “that fucking island is getting further and further away from us!” The rest of us couldn’t really tell if the island was actually floating away from us or if Dad’s perception was deceived by his Alzheimer’s disease.
Hours later, with the wind finally in our favor as we headed back towards mainland Fiji full of the Bula spirit, we hoisted the sail and cruised over the ocean at a snappy pace. With Shane steering from the stern and Nellie tending the sail, Dad and I rested, taking in some needed calories (saltwater-soaked trail mix and energy bars...tasty!). Feeling present in the moment as I often do in intense outdoor situations and very happy to be there with my father, I turned in my seat at the bow to see Dad behind me. He was smiling and looking off in the distance, clearly feeling comfortable and at ease in this journey, widely recognized as one of the most challenging endurance events on earth. Alzheimer’s was making things in daily life increasingly hard, and we knew the rest of the Fijian racecourse held a dizzying range of perils and tests. But for this moment Dad and I were at peace as our eyes briefly connected and we shared a smile.
Looking deeply into my father’s bright, blue eyes, I thought, “I’ll make sure we get through this OK, Dad.” Transitioning to new familial roles can be tough. I know it was for me, particularly when Alzheimer’s hit my dad--not only a father but also a friend and adventure companion and rock and motivator and grandfather--at a relatively young age. But I felt strong and up to the task, proud to hear myself think, “I’m ready to take care of you out here, Dad.”
SLAM!
Less than a second later, I was upside down in the ocean, disoriented and flailing my arms, not sure which way was up. I gasped for breath but gulped salt water instead. A brief panic ensued until a hand--strong, sure, steady--grasped the back of my life jacket and ripped me powerfully to the surface.
“Hey, Bud! You OK?”
The voice was Dad’s, and so, of course, was the hand. Our boat had capsized due to a rogue wind gust, but Shane righted it while Nellie swam around grabbing our packs. The old guy with Alzheimer’s may need some help tying his shoes or organizing his race gear, but here in the thick of it he remained strong and steady, instinctively reaching out to grab his child before thinking about anything else.
Twenty-nine years earlier.
I am seven years old, walking away from my family’s house in Evergreen, Colorado. With each step, the light from the house is swallowed more deeply by the dark. Real, starless mountain dark. I don’t like the dark and what it can hide--bears, mountain lions, ghosts, the Unknown. I reach out my hand instinctively, and it is instantly wrapped in the strong, warm grasp I know so well. The opposite of the Unknown. Security. Strength. Love. Dad.
This, I now know, is where it began. Where it ends, well, we are bound to find that out, together. Our journey has taken us to places washed in sunlight and draped in darkness. The Fijian archipelago and its surrounding waters serve as an unusual backdrop for our Alzheimer’s story, but I’ll just admit this upfront, Dad and I are pretty unusual guys. At least that’s what a lot of people think.
In the fall of 2020, amidst a global pandemic generating uncertainty for all, millions of people around the world watched part of our story--a very small part--play out over 10 episodes on Amazon Prime. Yes, the World’s Toughest Race was a made-for-television event, but it was also very real--full of real dangers, real drama, and, like us, real people. For Dad, it was almost certainly the end to an amazing run. He is one of the few people to have participated in eight of the original Eco-Challenges, beginning with its inception in 1995 and running through 2002, the last year the race was held before a 17-year hiatus during which its creator, Mark Burnett, concentrated on developing other reality programming, most notably the cultural phenomenon, Survivor.
Dad was a stalwart competitor in those races, as he has been in a staggering number of other ultrarunning and endurance races over his adult life. He has challenged himself, physically, mentally and emotionally, at levels that few people have experienced--or, frankly, could even comprehend. His resilience, strength and spirit inspired me, at an early age, to follow in his footsteps and become a professional endurance athlete. Dad has always shown me the way.
But something changed a few months before we were invited to participate in the reincarnated Eco-Challenge. In October, 2018 we got the news: At 64, Dad had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s. No prevention, no treatment, no cure. That was the conventional wisdom. But Dad, as you will learn in this book, is not a conventional person. He decided--and we decided as a family--to fight this fight with everything we had. He decided to live fully instead of throwing in the towel.
By the end of our Eco-Challenge adventure, viewers worldwide got a little glimpse of the heart, strength, humor, and resilience of the man I’ve always looked up to (and still do!). But the story of our Alzheimer’s journey goes far beyond what the cameras captured in Fiji. From that first dark day of Dad’s diagnosis right up to today, Dad, Mom, and I, along with the rest of my family, friends, and “teammates,” have chosen our own approach to dealing with this insidious disease. Our approach will certainly not be appropriate for every victim of Alzheimer’s, but our story, I believe, holds universal truths. And my greatest hope is that our story will help bring light, hope, and understanding to families who have faced the same thing we have. Alzheimer’s is very much The Unknown. Finding that steady hand reaching out to you in the darkness can make all the difference.
The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion's 8 Core Principles for Success in Business, Sports, and Life
By Travis Macy with John Hanc, Da Capo Press 2015
Travis Macy summited glacial peaks in the French Alps, rapelled into cavernous limestone caves in China, and ran through parched deserts in Utah. Most famously, he won the Leadman, a high-altitude combination trail running marathon, 50-mile mountain biking race, 100-mile mountain biking race, 10K run, and 100-mile trail run. Macy accomplished it without exceptional strength, speed, flexibility, high tech performance labs, or performance-enhancing drugs. His secret? A precise and particular outlook he calls the “Ultra Mindset,” principles for daily life which are neither mysterious nor the sole province of ascetics or elite athletes: embrace fear, rewrite stories we tell ourselves, and master the art of seeking help, among others. By applying the Ultra Mindset principles to other areas of life, anyone can find success that otherwise would have been impossible.
The Ultra Mindset is a winner of a Living Now Book Award.
A note from the author: Book reviews are gold to authors like me. If you liked The Ultra Mindset, please consider taking a minute to review it on Amazon. Thanks, and I appreciate your time!
"They say life is a marathon, but Travis Macy knows better: Life is an 'ultradistance event.' In his wise and engrossing book, Macy shows how the same 'ultra mindset' that enabled him to win some of the world's toughest races can make anyone a winner in everyday life."
--Matt Fitzgerald, Author of 80/20 Running and Racing Weight
"Trav and I spent days and days together competing in adventure races through some of the most challenging environments on earth. His positive outlook was always second to none, and it played a big role in top finishes for our team. The actionable concepts in this book are very relevant to life beyond racing."
--Robyn Benincasa, New York Times Bestselling Author of How Winning Works and World Champion Adventure Racer
“If you seek an improved mindset that will generate wellness and exceptional results in work, family, athletics, and beyond, then this is the book for you. Travis has achieved more in endurance sports over the last decade than many athletes hope to do in a lifetime, and I’ve always known that he had something important to teach us. Here it is.”
--Marshall Ulrich, extreme adventure athlete, author of Running on Empty
