A young ultra-marathon runner is pushed to the breaking point and beyond in this gripping tale of physical endurance and emotional healing.

Quinn has been called a superhero and a freak of nature. At age 13, he's an amazing distance runner. He takes on the second-hardest challenge of his life when he enters his first ultramarathon: a grueling 100-mile, 24-hour-long race that will push him to the very limit of his endurance.

While Quinn struggles to go on — up a mountain and through the night, as his muscles break down and he begins to hallucinate — we learn why the ultra-marathon is only the second hardest thing he has endured in his young life. And maybe this devastating event from his past is exactly what Quinn has been running from . . .

Framed as an interview with a media commentator after Quinn's newsmaking finish, this remarkable debut novel from ultra-marathon runner David Carroll reminds us that when we dare to challenge what is possible, the word impossible loses its meaning.

DAVID CARROLL is a CBC radio producer and an Ultra-marathon runner with five 100-mile races under his belt. He has written short stories and radio series for NPR, as well as for numerous CBC programs including Canada Reads, GO, Sounds Like Canada, and The Arts Today. His first novel, Ultra, was a Silver Birch Award finalist and won the 2013 Cybil Award for Middle-Grade Fiction. David has guided several blind runners on marathons and sections of an end-to-end Bruce Trail run. He lives in Toronto, Ontario. Visit David Carroll at www.writerunrepeat.com.

David Carroll's profile page

• Winner, Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award
• Winner, Diamond Willow Award (Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice)
• Short-listed, OLA Silver Birch Award, Fiction
• Short-listed, Red Cedar Award (BC Young Readers' Choice)
• Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award
• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre
• Winner, Cybils (Children's and Young Adults Bloggers' Literary Awards), Middle-Grade Fiction

Praise for Ultra:

Winner, Cybils - Middle-Grade Fiction, 2013

"An inspiring read." —Canadian Running Magazine

"This is a story of determination and perseverence. It was impossible for me to stop turning the pages." —OWL Magazine (Forrester, age 11)

"Torn between savouring every word or rushing to the end, I stampeded my way through Ultra . . . Highly Recommended." —CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"A really dramatic story . . . much like running a long distance race — you just have to keep going until you reach the finish line where all the questions are answered!" —Trail Running Canada