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
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