Cross the Lines: A Journey to Complete the Marathon Grand Slam - Paperback

by William Thomas (Author)

Every marathon has two lines. We usually focus on the Finish Line; that is where the crowd gathers, that is where medals are awarded. We see crossing the Finish Line as the victory.

But there is a second line: the Starting Line. Sometimes, getting to that line and crossing it is even harder. Once you do, though, life can get pretty amazing.

William Thomas only began running at age 42, and ran his first marathon nine months later. Looking for a new goal, he set out to complete The Marathon Grand Slam: running a marathon on all 7 continents and at the North Pole. In addition to running marathons in the United States, his Grand Slam journey took him to Singapore, France, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Antarctica, and ultimately, the North Pole. CROSS THE LINES is the story of the multi-year journey that put him onto a very different path from anything he could have imagined before.

CHAPTER 1: The Starting Line
CHAPTER 2: 26.2 Lessons From Running Marathons
CHAPTER 3: North America -- Marine Corps Marathon
CHAPTER 4: Asia -- Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon
CHAPTER 5: Europe -- Paris Marathon
CHAPTER 6: South America -- Rio de Janeiro Marathon
CHAPTER 7: Africa -- Cape Town Marathon
CHAPTER 8: Australia -- Blackmore's Sydney Marathon
CHAPTER 9: Antarctica -- Antarctic Ice Marathon
CHAPTER 10: North Pole -- North Pole Marathon
CHAPTER 11: No Finish Line In Sight

Author Biography

Dr. William Thomas began running at age 42, and eight years later became one of a small group of people from around the world who have completed The Marathon Grand Slam: running a marathon on all 7 continents and at the North Pole. He is currently an Ambassador for the Abbott World Marathon Majors.

William is a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel and former Georgetown University professor, and currently lives and works in Asia as a leadership consultant. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Virginia, an MBA from Regis University, and a PhD in public policy from George Mason University. In addition to teaching at Georgetown, he was a professor at the US Air Force Academy for seven years and taught as a Fulbright Scholar at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.