The Last of the Giants

Two hundred miles through the mountains in five days, with almost no sleep: Italy’s Tor des Géants is one of the world’s hardest races. Why put yourself through it? 

Inspired by the real-life experience of American ultrarunner and Run the Alps founder Doug Mayer, this graphic novel blends fiction and reality, delving into what it means to be human, our need for spiritual understanding, and our drive to explore our limits. 

From Run the Alps’ longtime publishing partner Helvetiq, and illustrated by William Windrestin, The Last of the Giants illuminates both the appeal and the physical and psychological turmoil of running day and night for a week through some of the wildest terrain on earth–and what universal lessons about life, suffering and love are learned along the way. 

With a unique inverted format—read one way, then the other—this immersive story offers a fresh perspective on the extreme end of the trail running spectrum and explores the search for something greater than ourselves. 

The character Sam Hill takes on Tor for a third time–after failing, twice. Amid exhaustion, hallucinations, and unforgettable encounters both real and imagined, he pushes the limits of body and mind to discover more about himself and his place in the world.