David Green, an endurance athlete always looking to test his limits, has had a love affair with Brazil since he first ran the Brazil 135 ultramarathon back in 2012. Since then, he has run a myriad of multi-day and ultramarathon events, including Marathon des Sables, Western States, Badwater 135, Keys 100 and Donna 110, just to name a few. But each January, he heads out to Brazil for multi-day endurance runs where he is the mastermind, which typically include Brazil 135 in the beginning, middle or end of his adventure. So it’s no surprise that in February 2018, he met his “canine soulmate” in the form of a black and tan mut in need of medical care, while traversing Brazil’s Caminho da Fe. The surprise was that days later, Green managed to bring Lucky back to the US. “He wasn’t a beautiful dog, not even particularly handsome,” Green writes. “But underneath that sickly, poor, malnourished exterior, I saw a brilliant spirit, longing to be given an opportunity.”
Lucky, the title of Green’s book chronicling his run across America, is a story about relationships, exploration and at its core, love. Throughout his book, Green reminds us that Lucky chose him that fated week in Brazil, and that each mile Lucky has run with Green ever since, has also been his choice. With Green’s transcon run—3,400 miles from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, to the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco—as the framework, he takes us on an adventure across the US during the pandemic, as he runs through a diverse landscape, solving problems and experiencing the freedom and possibility that comes from living on the open road by navigating one mile at a time. Green’s story exemplifies that the journey is always the destination, and serves as a reminder that sometimes, forward motion is a conduit to self-discovery.
Following Lucky’s adventures and having met him during the Daytona 100 years ago, within the first few chapters I was quickly captivated by Lucky’s perseverance and insistence on thriving, even when the odds were against him. Green’s trek is a study in overcoming obstacles, from running thousands of miles with a canine partner fighting cancer, to navigating the US amid COVID shutdowns, RV malfunctions, finding veterinarians and animal hospitals along the way to administer chemotherapy, and adapting one’s body to endure daily ultra runs of 30+ miles.
At its core, Lucky is a story of hope and possibility, as we witness Lucky Caminho’s fierce loyalty and determination to explore the land, and spread joy and love. Unlike other transcon adventures in which the runner is the focus, Green’s journey becomes Lucky’s journey to live, and Green and his crew chief, Chris Genoversa, shift their priorities throughout their adventure to adapt to Lucky’s medical needs. The story provides an authentic and heartfelt glimpse into what it takes to keep moving despite setbacks, challenges and heartbreak. Ultimately, Lucky becomes Green’s story of the profound healing that comes from going the distance, both physically and emotionally.