Muchos de los que corremos hemos tomado parte en un mayor o menor numero de maratones. Nos hemos emocionado la primera vez que hemos corrido los cuarenta y dos kilometros y seguimos haciendolo cada vez que nos ponemos en la linea de salida. Siempre se habla de que Filipides fue el precursor de la distancia, alla por el 490 a.C., cuando los persas desembarcaron en la Atica y se enfrentaron a atenienses y platenses. Pero fue realmente asi?. Por eso Jose Millariega ha tratado en este libro de hacer un analisis de los distintos puntos de vista que barajan los eruditos sobre la batalla de Maraton, a partir, ademas, de su experiencias por tierras griegas, en concreto en la Spartathlon, prueba que evoca un recorrido de doscientos cuarenta y seis kilometros, entre Atenas y Esparta, que cubrio un heraldo corredor por encargo de los generales atenienses para pedir ayuda a los espartanos, cuando en el horizonte de la playa de Maraton aparecio una impresionante flota asiatica dispuesta a terminar con el helenismo. Todo ello incardinado con los Juegos de la Grecia Antigua y con la inclusion de la carrera de maraton, por primera vez en la Historia (intentando emular la gesta de los heroes griegos que vencieron a los medos en el 490 a.C.), en los primigenios Juegos de la Era Moderna, Atenas 1896

Guardian's Best Sports Books SHORTLISTED FOR THE CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2015 LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2015 In Chase Your Shadow, journalist and author John Carlin tells the gripping story of Oscar Pistorius's tragic journey from sporting icon to accused murderer. Before Valentine's Day of 2013, Pistorius was best known as an extraordinary athlete, the 'Blade Runner' who became the first amputee in history to compete in the Olympics. Everything changed after he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead in the early hours of 14 February. Overnight, the Olympian's status as a role model was replaced by tales of erratic behaviour and a violent dark side. His seven-month trial was broadcast live around the globe, its twists and turns captivating millions. Carlin, who followed the drama inside the courtroom, provides a vivid first-hand account of Pistorius's wrenching emotional breakdowns, the merciless interrogation to which he was submitted by the prosecutor, and the highly controversial judgment. Carlin paints a portrait of a complex personality, a man whose life story reveals extremes of courage and insecurity, ambition and vulnerability, generosity and dangerous hot-headedness. Not since the O. J. Simpson case has the world been more riveted by a champion's heroic rise and calamitous fall.

Lo que les voy a contar es la historia de un sueno, casi un cuento de hadas. En el ano de mil novecientos noventa y dos llegue con mi familia a la urbanizacion de La Fresneda (en el municipio de Siero, Asturias) y a todos nosotros nos parecio un lugar idoneo para vivir. Tenia instalaciones deportivas, muchos arboles, bosques, rios y una gran variedad de aves. Ademas a un extremo del pueblo (todavia en ciernes) una pequena colina poblada de bosque, sotobosque, arbustos, prados y algunos caserios (surcada por caminos y senderos) parecia constituir tambien un lugar muy propicio para hacer 'running'. Encontre en la belleza incomparable del Club de Campo un espacio deportivo excepcional para entrenar (arboles, rio, aves, verdes campos...). Asi que nos asentamos en La Fresneda llenos de proyectos e ilusiones. Pronto me calce las zapatillas de clavos y me dispuse a trazar una ruta virgen sobre hierba por todo el perimetro del Club de Campo. De esa forma comence a correr siempre sobre mis pasos, llevando a cabo todos los dias el mismo recorrido, entre la hierba alta y bucolica, aprovechando las margenes del rio Norena y del arroyo Forcon. Que tiempos tan irrepetibles . No tarde mucho en dejar una huella sensible sobre el cesped inmaculado, pues a fuerza de repetir la pisada sobre los mismos lugares ya se sabe que en cualquier sitio enseguida se termina marcando un camino. Por esos anos comence a salir bastante en los periodicos y tambien a ser muy conocido por las largas distancias que corria, al obtener buenos resultados en los cien kilometros y tomar parte ya las 24 horas. Era funcionario de 'Correos' y preste por un tiempo mis servicios en la localidad de La Fresneda, de ahi que para todo el mundo empece a ser 'el cartero' a secas, sobrenombre con el que se me sigue conociendo (y asi sera hasta que me muera) aunque llevo varios anos perteneciendo a otra Administracion del estado espanol Transcurrio el tiempo sin que nadie mas corriera por la 'senda del cartero' hasta que un buen dia cuando estaba entrenando comprobe que el jardinero que prestaba servicios en el Club hacia sus labores con un tractor, el cual tenia acoplado un peine de segar hierba. Aunque yo no era nadie para hacerle peticion alguna (solo un socio mas), lo cierto es que me aventure a preguntarle su parecer sobre si se podria realizar una siega con el tractor por un determinado lugar, intentando mas que nada tantear su buena voluntad y predisposicion. ' De que se trata?', me dijo. Y le sugeri con cierto recelo si podria dar una pasada con la segadora por donde yo entrenaba. Ante mi asombro me indico enseguida: 'No hay problema, eso esta hecho. Dime por donde empiezo...'. Asi fue como le guie hasta un punto del sendero y comence correr por el mismo con el tractor segando y pisandome los talones. Yo estaba encantado, porque veia que se estaba abriendo una autentica vereda, que quedaba estupenda a la vista de cualquiera, pues parecia una verde alfombra. De esa forma fue como poco despues ya se pudo observar a mas corredores haciendo 'footing' por aquel circuito, incluida alguna mujer. Ese fue un punto de inflexion: era como si la hermosa franja de cesped bien cortado invitase a trotar sobre ella. Y de esa manera cada vez mas y mas personas empezaron a hacer 'running' por aquel trazado inigualable, un recorrido primoroso, al lado de enormes arboles, el bosque, dos rios y verdes praderas. Despues, en el ano dos mil dos, la junta directiva decidio dedicarme (con un homenaje una placa) la ya famosa 'milla del cartero', corriendo ya ese dia ciento dos personas las primeras 24 horas de su historia, consiguiendo acumular 931 millas. Lo que ocurrio despues ya fue algo imparable. Pero eso, mis queridos lectores y lectoras, tendran que descubrirlo ya en el libro."

Este libro contiene a lo largo de sus once capitulos historias entranables, conmovedoras y electrizantes, pero tambien despiadadas. Lo que si puedo garantizar al lector es que no se va a aburrir con ninguna de ellas, aunque no estoy en condiciones de asegurarle que algunas no vayan a destrozar sus sentimientos. Es sin duda este un libro este que repasa quizas de forma despiadada alguno de los problemas mas candentes de la sociedad actual, siempre afrontados desde la mente del corredor de fondo. Jose Millariega.

Correr es una gran manera de mejorar tu salud y bienestar, mejorar tu autoestima y adquirir un sentimiento de realizacion. Correr puede parecer simple para algunos, pero para otros, el asumir un estilo de vida de running, puede presentar un nuevo mundo de entrenamientos, estiramientos, nutricion y equilibrio. Pero llegado el momento, todos podemos ser corredores de por vida si tenemos las herramientas y los conocimientos adecuados. Con consejos de expertos y asesoramiento especificamente para mujeres, este libro es el companero perfecto para el principiante, veterano y aquellos que vuelven a correr despues de una pausa.

In I'M HERE TO WIN, Chris "Macca" McCormack opens his playbook and reveals everything it takes-mind, body, and spirit-to become a champion. Now he shares the story of his triumphs and the never-say-die dedication that has made him the world's most successful triathlete.
In 2010, at the age of 37, Macca beat the odds and won the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii for a second time in what many called the most dramatic finish in the race's history. Macca's journey to athletic greatness is more than just one of physical perseverance. After coming in fourth in Hawaii in 2009, Macca returned to the island on a mission: He was there to win. A game plan containing a new strategic approach to winning brought him first across the finish line.
Chris McCormack has dedicated his life to training for-and winning-the Ironman Hawaii, one of the most grueling tests of mental and physical endurance in the world. The race challenges athletes to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a full marathon, 26.2 miles, using all their strength and willpower to overcome the incredibly harsh conditions.
In I'M HERE TO WIN Macca provides concrete training advice for everyone-from weekend warriors who casually compete to seasoned veterans who race every week to armchair athletes looking for an extra push-and provides insight into the mind of a great champion with excitement and inspiration on every page.
I'M HERE TO WIN is also available as an enhanced e-book with embedded video and audio.

The half century since the Ethopian marathon runner, Abebe Bikila, won the Olympic gold medal in world record time in Rome in 1960 has been a golden period for African athletics. Since then, Africans have won 42 Olympic gold medals, numerous IAAF World Championships gold and established a string of world records in international competition. Most, but not all, come from the Eastern African highlands of Kenya and Ethopia with other notable successes from Mediterranean athletes especially Morocco; and they are amongst the very elite of the world’s athletes. Running for Black Gold documents in both text and statistics the African dominance in the middle and long distance events in international athletics competition, highlighting the successes of over 100 male and female athletes, their gold medals and world records. Amateur sportsman and writer Kevin Lillis focuses on the on-track performances of these athletes at the Olympic Games and the IAAF World Championships exclusively, as the `blackgold standard’ against which supreme performance is measured. Written from the viewpoint of a keen observer of both Africa and athletics, Lillis provides a broad map of the key moments in the history of `African runners running for black gold’ culminating in the dominance of the Kenyans at the last IAAF World Championships in Daegu Korea. The text and accompanying statistics are illustrated with stunning photographs of the outstanding gold medal winners and world record holders by internationally acclaimed photographer Mark Shearman. Sports enthusiasts especially those with an interest in the development of African athletics and the history of the Olympics as well as journalists, broadcasters and sport statisticians will revel in this revealing and easily read account of African athletics achievement `from Bikila to Bekele’.

An exciting series that provides students with direct access to the ancient world by offering new translations of extracts from its key texts. Where did the idea of celebrating the Olympic Games every four years come from? The short answer is ancient Greece. The very name 'Olympic' announces an origin for the competition, but, as with most of our classical heritage, it is easy for the superficial similarities to conceal major cultural differences. The purpose of this new book in the Greece and Rome: Texts and Contexts series is to provide an introduction to Greek athletics and their most important competition at Olympia through a selection of contemporary visual and literary sources.

For more than a decade, Marion Jones was hailed as the "the fastest woman on the planet." At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, she became the first woman ever to win five medals at one Olympics. That same year, the Associated Press and ESPN named her Athlete of the Year. She was on the cover of "Vogue" and "Time." She seemed to have it all--fame, fortune, talent, and international acclaim. Now she is a convicted felon.

The trouble started in 2003 when she lied to federal agents about her use of a performance-enhancing drug and her knowledge of a check fraud scam. In 2007, no longer able to live with the lies, she admitted the truth. In a sad end to what seemed like a storybook career, she was stripped of her medals, and her track-and-field records were wiped from the books.

She was incarcerated at Carswell federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas--a prison known for its violence and abuse. While there, she kept herself in shape and her sanity intact by running on a dirt track and a treadmill in the prison's improvised weight room. But her imprisonment was not the end for Marion Jones. In fact, it marked a new beginning. She is now using her story to change the lives of people the world over and inspire others who, like her, face obstacles that seem insurmountable.

"On the Right Track "is the candidly told story of how Marion came to grips with her lies and the consequences of her actions, and how she found meaning in all of it. What she tells her children and has now applied to her own life is that when you make a mistake, you admit it, you accept the consequences, you move on, you make the wrong a right. She teaches her children and others to take a break and pause before making impulsive and potentially harmful decisions.

At the heart of this book are real issues that we all face: learning to grow through pain; making decisions that will help us far into the future; overcoming failure and discouragement; and applying practical principles that point the way to personal and spiritual breakthrough.

Este libro es un viaje inspirador a traves de los ojos, la mente, y el corazon de Alexandra Panayotou, una atleta de ultrafondo que corrio 2010 km en 31 dias, promocionando los Campeonatos de Europa de Atletismo - Barcelona 2010. Aparte de llevarte a los, en ocasiones, angustiosos dias y tortuosas noches, tambien te acercara a su experiencia vital, adentrandote en sus pensamientos y sus emociones, haciendote participe de sus luchas y sus triunfos. Motivador, tanto para corredores como para no corredores, este libro habla acerca de alcanzar tus metas a traves de la excelencia personal.

GET FIT, GET FAST, AND GO FARTHER WITH OLYMPIC RUNNER KARA GOUCHER'S COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO RUNNING FOR WOMEN
KARA GOUCHER is crazy, madly, head-over-heels in love with running, and she wants to help you feel that love, too. Whether you're just getting started or already a seasoned runner, this is the book that will take you to the next level. "Kara Goucher's Running for Women "contains her expertise, tips, and tricks targeted specifically at female runners to help you become a better, happier, healthier, and more fulfilled runner. She'll teach you how to:
- GET STARTED WITH THE RIGHT GEAR
- BUILD A SUCCESSFUL SUPPORT TEAM
- FIND THE RIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOU
- OVERCOME PSYCHOLOGICAL SETBACKS
- BALANCE RUNNING WITH FAMILY AND WORK
- AND MUCH MORE
Designed to fit your busy lifestyle, "Kara Goucher's Running for Women "is packed with quick tips, pearls of running wisdom, and sample training schedules and nutrition plans, as well as sections dedicated to running during and after pregnancy, managing the special challenges of the female athlete's body, and maintaining a balance between sporting and family life. "Kara Goucher's Running for Women "is the ultimate guide for women who want to train for the gold or simply discover their personal best.

Jamaican Usain 'Lightning' Bolt is arguably the most celebrated sportsman in the world. From the relative obscurity of being a world-class 200 metres runner and winner of the Athletics World Championship silver medal in 2007, Bolt has elevated himself to iconic stature with his incredible world record runs in the 100 metres and his unbelievable performances at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is already being touted as the 'saviour' of track and field athletics and has been a fantastic ambassador for Jamaica, the Caribbean and the entire global African diaspora. This 22 year-old promises astonishing feats to come and his performances indicate that he is more than ready to fulfil those promises. Already a track phenomenon at the precocious age of twelve, this uncomplicated country boy leads the new generation of Caribbean stars who chose to stay at home, and train, study and work in familiar climes. His story is an inspiration to all and his instant celebrity shows the power of the media and the importance of the Olympic Games even in today's crowded sports calendar.