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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Sport
This is the story of a simple idea that turned into a global movement. This is the story of parkrun, told for the very first time from the man who started it all. Growing up in the brutal care system of South Africa, Paul Sinton-Hewitt had a lonely, difficult childhood. Yet he found solace in running – a simple pleasure that taught him resilience and offered a young boy a sense of self-worth. With dogged determination, Paul built a stable family life for himself and eventually settled in the UK. But by 2004 he was struggling to hold it all together. He’d lost the successful career he’d worked so hard for, his marriage had broken down, and now a devastating injury threatened to cut him off from the running club which had been a lifeline. In search of connection and purpose, Paul came up with a simple idea. He would start a weekly time trial run every Saturday morning in his local park. There would be no winners or losers, it would always be free and Paul would be there every week – even on Christmas Day – whether or not anyone else came. Little did he know that from just thirteen runners on that first Saturday, parkrun would grow into a 10 million strong community across five continents. Twenty years on parkrun continues to grow, bringing together people from all walks of life in search of health, happiness and community. Filled with hope and optimism, One Small Step is a powerful affirmation of how coming together in simple ways can change our own lives and might even change the world.
Jan Ullrich: The Best There Never Was is the first biography of Jan Ullrich, arguably the most naturally talented cyclist of his generation, and also one of the most controversial champions of the Tour de France. In 1997, Jan Ullrich announced himself to the world by obliterating his rivals in the first mountain stage of the Tour de France. So awesome was his display that it sent shockwaves throughout the world of cycling and invited headlines such as L'Equipe's 'The New Giant'. He went on to become Germany's first ever Tour winner, storming to victory in that edition by almost ten minutes, a result that was greeted as an era-defining changing of the guard. Everyone agreed: Jan Ullrich was the future of cycling. He was soon also voted Germany's most popular sportsperson of all time, and his rivalry with Lance Armstrong defined the most controversial years of the Tour de France. Now, Daniel Friebe - who has covered twenty-one editions of the Tour de France - has gone in search of the man who was said in 1997 would go on to dominate his sport for a generation, but never quite managed it. Just what did happen to the best who never was? This is a gripping account of how unbearable expectation, mental and physical fragility, the effects of a complicated childhood, a morally corrupt sport and one individual - Lance Armstrong - can conspire to reroute destiny. Daniel Friebe takes us from the legacy of East Germany's drugs programme to the pinnacle of pro cycling and asks: what price can you give sporting immortality?
Everybody knows the record the stuff of almanacs, trade magazines and clipping services. A handful know the man. But only Muhammad Ali knows his life as he lived it. The Greatest is Ali's own story. For six years he worked, traveled and talked with Richard Durham, a writer with a stunning talent, and the result is mesmerizing in its brilliance, drama, humanity and sheer entertainment. This is no documented scrapbook of wins and losses strung together with anecdotes; nor is it a thin potpourri of locker room gags. This book, like Ali who has incited every reaction except indifference goes straight to the place where responses to him have always been the gut. When the history of the twentieth century is finally recorded, it must include Muhammad Ali. He is "The Greatest."
King of the Fells. Iron man. Lake District fell running legend. Joss Naylor is all of these things and more. His achievements are astounding, his records stand the test of time. In 1983 he completed the 105-mile Lakes, Meres and Waters (LMW) route in a staggering 19hr 14min and to this day, describes it as one of the best routes he ever ran. High praise indeed and yet, so few know of it. Part guidebook, part inspirational regaling, this book interweaves tales of past and present as Naylor reflects on his 1983 epic on a re-walk 37 years later. In the company of award-winning author, Vivienne Crow, Naylor recalls that magical day, sharing stories and anecdotes from, not just his run, but the 1980s fell running scene, his working life and growing up in the Wasdale Valley. Naylor's tales, together with breathtaking photography, are accompanied by basic guide notes for the LMW route, sticking as closely to his 1983 run as possible. These notes divide the route into ten stages (ranging from 9 to 14 miles), allowing runners and walkers to follow in the footsteps of the King of the Fells, albeit on a more relaxed schedule. From Loweswater to Over Water, visiting 27 of the Lake District's largest bodies of water, the LMW route guarantees vistas of unparalleled beauty and an unforgettable experience in true fell country.
A TRUE STORY OF FINDING THE AMERICAN DREAM . . . ABROAD
Despite his consistency, his achievements and more-so, his visibility, he has never written an autobiography and a biography has never been written about him. He remains an enigmatic figure. We barely know how his teammates really feel about him and we do not know what he thinks of them. We do not really know about the world around him: how the events of the past decade in Egypt have impacted on his own life. We barely know what really motivates him. And we also know very little about where he is heading: whether a deal to join the exodus of high level European-based footballers in Saudi Arabia really interests him. This biography seeks to answer those questions by attempting to speak to the people who know him best through a mixture of on-record and off-record interviews. A definitive biography to remember.
Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, this is the bestselling story about a rowing team's quest for Olympic gold in Nazi Germany. Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods of Washington State, young Joe Rantz turns to rowing as a way of escaping his past. What follows is an extraordinary journey, as Joe and eight other working-class boys exchange the sweat and dust of life in 1930s America for the promise of glory at the heart of Hitler's Berlin. Stroke by stroke, a remarkable young man strives to regain his shattered self-regard, to dare again to trust in others - and to find his way back home. Told against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat is narrative non-fiction of the first order; a personal story full of lyricism and unexpected beauty that rises above the grand sweep of history, and captures instead the purest essence of what it means to be alive. 'I really can't rave enough about this book . . . I read the last fifty pages with white knuckles, and the last twenty-five with tears in my eyes' - David Laskin, author of The Children's Blizzard and The Long Way Home.
Nurtured in the lap of comfort, educated at Eton and Cambridge, the hero of the British sport-loving public, C. T. Studd, whose Cambridge career has been described as "one long blaze of cricketing glory", created a stir in the secular world of his youth by renouncing wealth and position to follow Christ. He was captain of the Eton XI in 1879, and of Cambridge University in 1883, being accorded in the latter year (vide The Cricketing Annual) "the premier position as an all-round cricketer for the second year in succession". The illness of a brother brought him face to face with realities and the transitoriness of worldly riches and fame. He obeyed the divine command, "Go thy way, sell what thou hast and give to the poor ...take up thy cross and follow me", throwing himself into the work which had called him with the same thoroughness and earnestness with which he had learned to "play a straight bat". Henceforward his life was dedicated to the service of God and his fellow men, and the story of his labours and adventures makes an epic of faith and courage against great odds that will be an inspiration to all who rejoice in a tale of high endeavour.
A new biography uncovering the life of golf superstar, Tiger Woods, featuring original interviews and reporting. What makes Tiger tick? How did Tiger Woods become the greatest of all time? And how did he fall so spectacularly? Before the age of twenty-five, Tiger Woods had risen to phenomenon status: twice named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, champion of more than thirty professional tournaments and the youngest player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments. In vivid, dramatic scenes, Tiger, Tiger taps into the transformative moments of Wood's life, both on and off the course.
This book, The Seanachie of Motorcycling, is a collection of tales from a master story teller, Harry Lindsay of Dublin. Described in his youth by his headmaster as the boy with oil in his veins", Harry grew up with motorcycles, becoming a trials and road racer, a grass track champion, holder of the Irish land speed record, racing team leader, an importer and retailer of motorcycles, a restorer of antique bikes and an historian along the way. Many of his stories bring to life the characters and heroes that were the racing world from the thirties through the turn of the last century. They offer a rare glimpse of life behind the scenes and more than one tale is told with a twinkle in his eye. This, then, is an Irishman's view of the world as it was. Pour a pint of Guinness, put your feet up and be prepared to enjoy the Seanachie's tales and learn and laugh with him. Seanachie (pronounced sha-nah-key): Irish for master story teller in the great tradition of orally passing folklore and history on down through the generations.
This book, The Seanachie of Motorcycling, is a collection of tales from a master story teller, Harry Lindsay of Dublin. Described in his youth by his headmaster as the boy with oil in his veins", Harry grew up with motorcycles, becoming a trials and road racer, a grass track champion, holder of the Irish land speed record, racing team leader, an importer and retailer of motorcycles, a restorer of antique bikes and an historian along the way. Many of his stories bring to life the characters and heroes that were the racing world from the thirties through the turn of the last century. They offer a rare glimpse of life behind the scenes and more than one tale is told with a twinkle in his eye. This, then, is an Irishman's view of the world as it was. Pour a pint of Guinness, put your feet up and be prepared to enjoy the Seanachie's tales and learn and laugh with him. Seanachie pronounced sha-nah-key: Irish for master story teller in the great tradition of orally passing folklore and history on down through the generations.
This book, The Seanachie of Motorcycling, is a collection of tales from a master story teller, Harry Lindsay of Dublin. Described in his youth by his headmaster as the boy with oil in his veins", Harry grew up with motorcycles, becoming a trials and road racer, a grass track champion, holder of the Irish land speed record, racing team leader, an importer and retailer of motorcycles, a restorer of antique bikes and an historian along the way. Many of his stories bring to life the characters and heroes that were the racing world from the thirties through the turn of the last century. They offer a rare glimpse of life behind the scenes and more than one tale is told with a twinkle in his eye. This, then, is an Irishman's view of the world as it was. Pour a pint of Guinness, put your feet up and be prepared to enjoy the Seanachie's tales and learn and laugh with him. Seanachie (pronounced sha-nah-key): Irish for master story teller in the great tradition of orally passing folklore and history on down through the generations.
The ultimate guide to mental toughness by James 'Iron Cowboy' Lawrence
– the greatest endurance athlete in human history.
Page by page, point by point, Iron Hope shows you how to reach for your dreams, whatever they are, and accomplish big things.
From a five-year-old girl racing 60mph micro-midgets in South Africa, to a Formula One driver in the British Championship during her first full year of racing in the UK, and on to becoming the first and only woman ever to win a Formula One race, Desire Wilson was a winner bested by very few of her male rivals. But single-seater racing was just the start of Desire's ascent in motorsport. She won two FIA World Championship Sports Car Endurance races in 1980, and went on to compete in well over 120 types of race car at more than 100 race tracks around the world. Always competitive, she earned a reputation for an intense, no-nonsense approach to racing, shrugging off the media glamour to focus on the hard grind of staying competitive in one of the world's toughest sporting arenas. Moving to the male-dominated world of North American racing, Desire became a pioneer for women racing in the harsh world of Indy Cars, facing discrimination, financial problems, and other obstacles ranging from tragedy to farce. Her career is unique in the world of racing, encompassing everything from club racing to Formula One and World Championship sports cars, to the evil monsters of the IndyCar World Series - the world's fastest race cars. Hers is a story of hardships, fun, tragedy, perseverance, injury, and the amazing behind-the-scenes world masked by the public face and glamour of racing. It tells, too, of the consequences of politics and discrimination in the male world of professional auto racing.
This is a tale of Ashdon Scriven's life, a professional polo player. It will tell of many of the fantastic polo ponies that helped shape his career. It is also a tale of the many young ladies that passed through it, however long or short their stay and changed it, some for better some for the worse.
In this extraordinary biography, noted sportswriter Robert W. Creamer reveals the complex man behind the sports legend. From Ruth's early days in a Baltimore orphanage, to the glory days with the Yankees, to his later years, Creamer has drawn a classic portrait of an American original.
For 125 years the British & Irish Lions have stood out as a peerless emblem in world sport. This unique account of the best from the four Home Nations examines every tour in the Lions' history, including the victorious 2013 tour to Hong Kong and Australia, told in the players' words. Behind the Lions sees rugby writers from across the Home Nations delve to the heart of what it means to be a Lion, interviewing a vast array of former and current players to uncover the passion, pride and exhilaration experienced when wearing the famous red jersey. It is a tale of heartbreak and ecstasy, humour and poignancy that is at once inspirational, moving and utterly compelling. This is the story of the British & Irish Lions in their own words. |
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