Mountain running ranks up there as one of the toughest sports. Having the ability and athleticism to race up and down Britain's highest peaks takes stamina, peak fitness and years of specialised training. So how did a teenage punk rocker from Yorkshire, seemingly existing on a diet of cider, parties and loud music, become the British Champion fell runner? The history of mountain running is peppered with legendary feats and characters, ultra-hard men and women who can run seemingly non-stop over our highest and toughest peaks and skylines. Flicking through the black-and-white photographs telling the story of these past champions of the sport you're struck by how wiry, super-fit and disciplined they look. Then, from nowhere, along comes Gary Devine. A maverick who jogged onto the scene sporting spiky dyed pink hair and a tatty running vest, hungover from the previous night's party, smiling and joking at the start line as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes - before showing everyone a muddy pair of heels and running off to win. This is the fascinating story of how an unlikely and eccentric runner became, against all expectations, the British Champion. It's a tale that focuses on the races that made up Devine's victorious 1990 season, while opening out to understand how the unruly, fearless ethos at the heart of punk could chime perfectly with the spirited, gutsy and dauntless root of mountain running; how the elements of surprise and daring are central to both. It's a near-perfect underdog narrative, a drama that traces one boy's life from ordinary schoolkid to extraordinary winner - all against a backdrop of alcohol, fights, arrests and extreme guitar noise. Following Devine from his roots as a punk rock convert to his years racing alongside the world's elite mountain runners, this is both a tale of implausible triumph to match that of comic book hero Alf Tupper and at the same time a compelling narrative of how running - like life - can be a wonderful and unexpected adventure. "Faster! Louder! is a great combination of different mad energy - punk and fell running. I knew nothing about the cult of fell running. Now I want to know more. The story has a unique take on music and running as a life force and is also a love letter to the fell running landscape." Richard Jobson, THe SKIDS "A stirringly evocative, riveting, hilarious, nostalgic, important book about two opposing worlds that aren't so different after all." Damian Hall, author and elite ultra-runner "With the lifestyle Gary led, it's amazing how the hell he was able to run races - never mind win so many. A bit of a wayward lad but I'm full of admiration for him - he did it his way!" Billy Bland, legendary fell runner "A strange, exhilarating blast of a book, throbbing with energy and sweaty authenticity. FASTER! LOUDER! celebrates fell-running as it used to be, rough and untamed, through the story of a maverick hero whose remarkable athletic triumphs are achieved against a grubby backdrop of brawls and hangovers, squats and drug-busts, and very loud music." Richard Askwith, author of 'Feet In The Clouds' "A most enjoyable look at fell running with a punk soundtrack and attitude. At school I was the one at the back of the pack sneaking off for a cig. Reading this book has made me wish it had been different. The challenge and exhilaration of the love of running in itself; the weather; the fells and the personal challenge - it all makes for a great read and I'm happy that Killing Joke may have been along for the ride." Big Paul Ferguson, Killing Joke

You know Marty right? The guy during College GameDay hanging off the back of a pickup truck while zooming around the Clemson athletic facilities. The guy who visits Nick Saban's lake house and somehow gets Coach to jump in the lake. The guy who sits down with Dale Jr. at Daytona to talk through tears about his miraculous return to racing. The guy who interviews Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning and Jimmie Johnson -- the guy who gets paid to live the fantasy of every sports fan in America. Never Settle is the funny but oh, it's true story of how Marty got here, and a revealing look at his journey. Never Settle includes all the best stories and behind-the-scenes moments from Marty's wild life, covering topics including: college football, racing, fathers and sons, how sports can bring us together, and how it all goes back to growing up on a farm and playing high school ball in Pearisburg, Virginia.

New paperback edition. This is the bestselling autobiography of Ted Dexter - fondly known as Lord Ted - the ferociously powerful and debonair former England international cricketer who captained England in 1961-2, stood as England's chairman of selectors from 1989-1993 and then became President of the MCC in 2001. He is undeniably one of England's most prolific cricketers but, as he's eager to stress in the introduction of his book, he also lived a rich, lively and fulfilling life outside of his sporting career, with tales galore of his various escapades along the French Riviera, his experience of running a sports PR company, flying planes (just "because he could"), playing championship golf, racing greyhounds and so much more. A riveting read not only for those who recall his sporting legacy, but for anyone who resonates with Ted's fervent enthusiasm for both cricket and life. All book royalties will be donated to the MCC Foundation - Transforming Lives Through Cricket. Nominated for The Cricket Society and MCC 'Cricket Book of the Year' award.

Dale Scott's career as a professional baseball umpire spanned nearly forty years, including thirty-three in the Major Leagues, from 1985 to 2017. He worked exactly a thousand games behind the plate, calling balls and strikes at the pinnacle of his profession, working in every Major League Baseball stadium, and interacting with dozens of other top-flight umpires, colorful managers, and hundreds of players, from future Hall of Famers to one-game wonders. Scott has enough stories about his career on the field to fill a dozen books, and there are plenty of those stories here. He's not interested in settling scores, but throughout the book he's honest about managers and players, some of whom weren't always perfect gentlemen. But what makes Scott's book truly different is his unique perspective as the only umpire in the history of professional baseball to come out as gay during his career. Granted, that was after decades of remaining in the closet, and Scott writes vividly and movingly about having to "play the game": maintaining a facade of straightness while privately becoming his true self and building a lasting relationship with his future husband. He navigated this obstacle course at a time when his MLB career was just taking off-and when North America was consumed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Scott's story isn't only about his leading a sort of double life, then opening himself up to the world and discovering a new generosity of spirit. It's also a baseball story, filled with insights and memorable anecdotes that come so naturally from someone who spent decades among the world's greatest baseball players, managers, and games. Scott's story is fascinating both for his umpiring career and for his being a pioneer for LGBTQ people within baseball and across sports.

To understand how to empower yourself, first of all you have to recognize and accept your vulnerability. In Stronger, Gareth shares how he has managed to deal with the adversity life has thrown at him over the years, from his school years to his most recent difficult announcement that he is living with HIV. Gareth's incredible willingness to expose his deepest emotional frailties as a man and come through even stronger as a result have made him a national hero and a role model for us all. Whether he is confronting the physical challenges of an Iron Man, or the mental resilience needed to be true to who you are, or weighing the medals and trophies he's won alongside the mistakes he's made, Gareth is unwaveringly honest. An inspirational rallying call, Stronger is a vital read for anyone who wants to turn their fear into a strength and to not only survive, but to thrive.

Darkness and Light: My Story is the heart-wrenching and soul-stirring autobiography of footballer and two-time cancer survivor, Joe Thompson. His mother's battle with mental illness and father's descent into a life of drugs and crime saw him battle adversity from birth. Football opened up a new world of opportunity when Manchester United signed him, aged nine. Joe spent six years living every boy's dream but was left devastated when the club released him at 16. He bounced back to forge a career in the Football League, before his life was thrown into turmoil. At 23, he was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer. Six months of chemotherapy followed, which eventually rid his body of the disease. He had been given a second chance at life, but three years later he was given the shock news that his cancer had returned. An 18-day stay in an isolation unit reduced him to skin and bone, but he vowed that he wouldn't be beaten. For a second time, Joe gave cancer the boot and he has since made an incredible return to professional football.

Ernie Banks, the first-ballot Hall of Famer and All-Century Team shortstop, played in fourteen All-Star Games, won two MVPs and a Gold Glove Award, and twice led the Major Leagues in home runs and runs batted in. His signature phrase, "Let's play two," has entered the American lexicon and exemplifies an enthusiasm and optimism that endeared him to fans everywhere. But Banks's public display of good cheer was also a mask that hid a deeply conflicted and complex man. He spent his entire career with the Chicago Cubs, who fielded some of baseball's worst teams, and became one of the greatest players never to reach the World Series. He endured poverty and racism as a young man, and the scorn of Cubs manager Leo Durocher as an aging superstar. Yet Banks smiled through it all, never complaining and never saying a negative word about his circumstances or the people around him. Based on numerous conversations with Banks, and on more than a hundred interviews with family, teammates, friends, and associates--as well as oral histories, court records, and thousands of other documents and sources--Let's Play Two tells Banks's story along with that of the woebegone Cubs teams he played for. This fascinating chronicle features Buck O'Neil, Philip K. Wrigley, the Bleacher Bums, the doomed pennant race of 1969, and much more from a long lost baseball era.

Growing up, Kate Fagan and her father forged their relationship on the basketball court. They were an inseparable pair, two kindred spirits bonded together by sweaty high fives, and an unflappable dedication to the New York Knicks. But as Kate grew older and life added complications to both her love of sport and her role as a daughter, they drifted apart -relying on a yearly pair of matching sneakers to remind each other of their connection. When Christopher, Kate's 6'5" athletic father, was diagnosed with ALS they embarked on a new, entirely uncharted chapter of their relationship. Kate took on the role of full-time caregiver, watching over her father like he had done for her, until his eventual assisted death. And yet while enduring the painful experience of witnessing her idol's rapid deterioration, Kate reconnected with her father to find an even deeper, more meaningful relationship. At its heart, this is a love story between Kate and her dad, the lessons learned, and, ultimately, how his debilitating disease made her reconsider their powerful relationship, along with her own life choices. A perfect meeting of TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE and RUNNING HOME, UNTITLED MEMOIR is written for the women who found their dad on the court, track, pitch, or field. It is an ode to the unbreakable bond between father and daughter and the invaluable understanding they share.

Finalist for the 2022 CASEY Award You don't know the history of the Chicago Cubs until you know the story of Charles Webb Murphy, the ebullient and mercurial owner of this historic franchise from 1905 through 1914. Originally a sportswriter in Cincinnati, he joined the New York Giants front office as a press agent-the game's first-in 1905. That season, hearing the Cubs were for sale, he secured a loan from Charles Taft, the older half-brother of the future president of the United States, to buy a majority share and become the team's new owner. In his second full season, the Cubs won their first World Series. They won again in 1908, but soon thereafter Murphy's unconventional style invited ill will from the owners, his own players, and the press, even while leading the team through their most successful period in team history. In Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman behind the Chicago Cubs, Jason Cannon explores Murphy's life both on and off the field, painting a picture of his meteoric rise and precipitous downfall. Readers will get to know the real Murphy, not the simplified caricature created by his contemporaries that has too frequently been perpetuated through the years, but the whirling dervish who sent the sport of baseball spinning and elevated Chicago to the center of the baseball universe. Cannon recounts Murphy's rise from the son of Irish immigrants to sports reporter to Cubs president, charting his legacy as one of the most important but overlooked figures in the National League's long history. Cannon explores how Murphy's difficult teenage years shaped his love for baseball; his relationship with the Tafts, one of America's early twentieth-century dynastic families; his successful and tumultuous years as a National League executive; his last years as an owner before the National League Board of Directors ousted him in 1914; and, finally, Murphy's attempt to rewrite his legacy through the construction of the Murphy Theater in his hometown of Wilmington, Ohio.

Wingin' It is the ultimate story of hope over hate, the insightful autobiography of a footballer who beat the bigots. Due to the colour of his skin, Mark Walters always felt he needed to be twice as good as other players in order to succeed. But Mark drew inspiration from the way the late Cyrille Regis handled his racist detractors, and went on to fulfil his potential by flaunting his dazzling ball skills for England. While a starry-eyed kid in Birmingham, he somehow escaped the clutches of evil paedophile Ted Langford, although his mate wasn't so fortunate. He became an idol of the Villa Park terraces, though his move to Scotland was almost halted by a bloodthirsty mob who pelted him with bananas and pigs' feet. But Walters stood firm to become one of England's most popular exports. After a third successive league title, a GBP1.25 million move to Liverpool reunited him with Graeme Souness. Mark rewrote the record books at Anfield, but would ultimately call his decision to head south 'the biggest mistake of my career'.

Choo Seng Quee is arguably Singapore's greatest football coach. He brought Singapore football to great heights, especially during the 1970s. This larger-than-life footballing icon had already made a name for himself as a no-nonsense defender during the 1930s helping Singapore win the Malaya Cup on two occasions.World War II disrupted his promising playing career, and after the war, he switched to coaching. In a coaching career spanning almost 30 years, he had several spells as coach of the Singapore national team (in addition to also coaching the Malaysian and Indonesian teams). Though his coaching methods were 'old school', based on hard work and discipline, success followed him wherever he went.His brash manner, unfortunately, did not endear well with the powers who ran the Singapore Amateur Football Association (SAFA), a predecessor of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). This led him being thrown into football wilderness on several occasions. But that did not stop him from progressing in his coaching career. The football administrators from Malaysia and Indonesia took advantage of these moments of 'unemployment' by offering him financially attractive contracts to coach their respective teams, leading to years of success while Choo Seng Quee was at the helm.This is the incredible story of this legend known to many as simply 'Uncle Choo' who instilled a sense of patriotism in his players. To him, wearing the Singapore jersey was a badge of honour.

Roy Race was Melchester Rovers' super striker, and later manager and chairman; he is known everywhere simply as 'Roy of the Rovers'. Real Roy of the Rovers Stuff is the inside story of his life with Melchester, told by the man who knows him better than anyone: editor Barrie Tomlinson, the man who helped turn him from comic-book hero to a national institution. From the 1950s, millions of children grew up reading about his footballing adventures in Tiger and Roy of the Rovers. Now they can relive all the memorable moments from Roy's illustrious footballing career. From his debut as a fresh-faced teen in the comic Tiger, Roy became the hero of his own football comic; with league titles, cup finals, Wembley wins and much more; how he survived near-death experiences, became the first boys' hero to get married and just why the saying 'Real Roy of the Rovers stuff!' became a stock phrase for football commentators everywhere. Packed with photos from Roy's life, the book tells how he became a top celebrity of his day, how Sir Alf Ramsey was convinced to be Melchester manager, Geoffrey Boycott became chairman and even how the Duke of Edinburgh once came to write for Roy's comic!

Grand Prize Winner, Banff Mountain Book Festival 2009. When Jerry Moffatt burst onto the scene as a brash 17-year-old, rock climbing had never seen anyone like him before. Fiercely ambitious, even as a boy Moffatt was focussed on one thing: being the best in the world. This is the story of his meteoric rise to stardom, and how he overcame injury to stay at the top for over two decades. Top sport-climber, brilliant competitor and a pioneer in the new game of bouldering, Moffatt's story is that of climbing itself in the last thirty years. Yet Jerry Moffatt is more than a dedicated athlete. Travelling the world to fulfil his dreams, Revelations is a compelling and often hilarious account of the climbing community with all its glories, dangers and foibles, as well as the story of a true sporting legend.

The life and times of Middlesex and England wicketkeeper-batsman John 'JT' Murray, one of the acknowledged greats of English post-war cricket. Irresistibly cool, glamorous and apparently unapproachable, Murray was Christopher Sandford's consuming hero at the time the author was confined in an English seaside boarding school in the 60s. Twenty or more years later, the two became friends. In 2017 Murray eventually succumbed to a decade-long campaign and agreed to share in full his lifetime's reminiscences, recounting his experiences of a quarter of a century as a professional English sportsman. Murray proved unfailingly generous and humorous (if by no means uncritical) in his accounts of the great Tests, the tours and the parade of celebrities, sporting and otherwise, he encountered. This treasure trove of stories - described not just in the dry accountancy of scores and averages, but in droll anecdotal detail - lies at the heart of a unique cricket book illustrated by photographs, letters and notes from Murray's own collection.

Breakout NFL star Deshaun Watson, quarterback for the Houston Texans, shows readers the lessons that have driven him to become a leader and to put others first. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is one of the most promising young players in the NFL, but he believes that true success lies in leading his team from a perspective of service. In this inspiring, practical book, Deshaun illustrates how the seven qualities of a servant leader can lead to a more successful life. Deshaun Watson was only eleven when his family qualified for a Habitat for Humanity house, which was furnished by Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn through Dunn's charity, Homes for the Holidays. But that early gift left a lasting impression, teaching Deshaun that generosity and service to others are important parts of true success. Now a star in his own right, and the most promising young player in the NFL, Deshaun reveals the lessons that have guided him throughout his life. From Deshaun's early days in Gainesville, Georgia, where he supported his mother through cancer, to his years at Clemson University-where he graduated in three years while being nominated for the Heisman twice-to his first few seasons in the NFL, Deshaun has distinguished himself as a leader by putting others first. In Pass It On, Deshaun opens up about the seven core values that have guided him on his own journey. Generosity Empathy Self-Sacrifice Service Commitment Strength Values in Action Interweaving stories from his life with practical advice that every reader can apply, Deshaun demonstrates how true strength lies in putting others first.

In March 1977, England cricket captain Tony Greig was arguably the most famous and popular sportsman in the country, and the best all-rounder in world cricket. He had recently led England to a famous series victory in India, her first successful campaign on the subcontinent since the Second World War. Then he had conjured a doughty performance from his travel-weary troops in the dramatic, one-off Centenary Test in Melbourne, narrowly losing by 45 runs. Within weeks, though, his reputation was in tatters. He was branded a traitor and mercenary, stripped of the England captaincy and excluded from the national side. He was also relieved of the Sussex captaincy and banned from first-class cricket for eight weeks. His involvement in the controversial 'Packer Revolution' had caused his fall from grace. Soon afterwards, he left England for good for a commentary career in Australia. At 6ft 7in, Greig was a giant of the game both figuratively and literally. His life story is every bit as fascinating as the controversy that engulfed him.

Discover the amazing achievements of fan favorite two-time MVP Stephen Curry in this brand-new, comprehensive biography Steph Curry is a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, record-breaker, and Finals champion who electrifies fans with his incredible on-court feats. He's also a dedicated husband, father, and philanthropist who inspires people on and off the court. Learn more about this remarkable athlete in this biography, complete with stats and photographs.

Mara Yamauchi is a two-time Olympian, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, and the UK's second-fastest female marathon runner ever with a personal best of 2:23:12. But there is much more to Mara than just running fast. This book of 42.195 insights-the number of kilometers in a marathon-distills the wealth of wisdom and experience Mara has gained as a world-class athlete. From planning training, optimizing nutrition, and preparing effectively for racing to coping with disappointments and struggles with mental illness, Mara shares everything she has learned-good and bad-as one of the world's top marathoners. Still, she does not spoon-feed her readers with training plans; instead, she encourages them to think critically to understand how to improve and set their own goals. This book also takes the reader into the revered world of distance running in Japan, one of the world's marathon superpowers. It has something for everyone, from beginner runners to competitive athletes and those aspiring to the very top. Mara's insights are also applicable beyond running and are meant for anyone who wants to realize a dream or achieve a lifetime goal in whatever field is special to them.

Sussex and England superstar Maurice Tate's story is one of triumph and fame, controversy and tragedy. In the 1920s and 1930s, the all-rounder was the world's most popular cricketer, famed for his brilliant bowling and broad smile - unlike his infamous cricketing father, whose costly error he more than repaid. In his day, Tate's enormous feet were the subject of a music-hall song, his extra pace considered 'magical'; he's now recognised as the first proper 'seam' bowler. He took almost 2800 first-class wickets and thrilled crowds with rapid-fire sixes and centuries. But along the way he suffered a nervous breakdown at the Bodyline series, and threw beer over Douglas Jardine. After a bitter sacking by Sussex, he became a pub landlord and died in poverty. Recently voted Sussex's greatest ever player, Tate doesn't figure in any more widespread Hall of Fame. It's time to remember this forgotten great of England cricket.