The book chronicles the author's journey (the training, the races and the people he met along the way) to complete his personal quest of running four major ultramarathons: The JFK 50-Mile Run, Badwater Ultramarathon, Western States Endurance Run, and the Comrades Marathon.

Scott Ludwig has been running every day since November 30, 1978, and he currently has the 28th longest streak in the United States. He has run 200 marathons, over 800 races, and accumulated over 135,000 miles in his lifetime. He began running ultramarathons early in his running career, his first being a 50-miler in 1982. In time, he ran ultras ranging from 31 miles to 135 miles (the Badwater Ultramarathon in 2003, in which he finished in 6th place). In 2002, Scott ran 129 miles in the U.S. National 24-Hour Championships and won the master's national championship (age 40 and over). In 1992, he ran 280 miles in six days, from the west side to the east side of the state of Georgia, to raise money for charity. He lives, runs, and writes in Senoia, Georgia.