Sports Memoirs Running

Failure Is an Option is the story of an average runner who sets out to discover just how far he can go. With the support (and misgivings) of his family, and aware that his quickest years are behind him, Matt Whyman leaves the Saturday morning 5K to push towards 100-mile ultramarathons and beyond. By slowing things down to run a very long way, he joins a growing number of men and women from all walks of life striving to do something extraordinary.

In the spring of 2021, as the UK's latest pandemic lockdowns were lifted, Nick Butter set out from the Eden Project to become the fastest person to cover every mile of Britain's mainland coastline on foot. Battling the most extreme winds Britain had seen in 100 years, days of torrential rain and the unrelenting hills of Western Scotland and Cornwall, Nick suffered two broken bones and countless injuries, whilst taking on two marathons a day, every day, for 100 days.

At the age of 50, Eddie Brocklesby decided to run her first half marathon. Until that point, she'd done little running, and her exercise regime consisted of little more than chauffeuring her children to their own sports clubs. In common with so many people, any interest she'd shown in sport in her childhood had diminished as her adult life progressed, with spare time becoming ever more limited in the face of work and family commitments. But the half marathon was the first of what was to become a hugely impressive trajectory of sporting accolades and successes.

On July 19, 1924, Eric Liddell was on top of the world. He was the most famous Briton at the time, having just won the gold in the Olympic 400-meter race. The story of that race - and the one he didn't run - was told in the popular movie classic Chariots of Fire. But what most of us don't know is what became of Eric Liddell in the years after the credits rolled. As the storm clouds of World War II rolled in, Liddell's strength of character led him to choose an uncertain future in China during World War II to continue helping the Chinese.

Laufen ist der populärste Sport der Welt: Es wird gelaufen, seit Ärzte, Wissenschaftler und die Industrie das Laufen als Allheilmittel für Gesundheit und seelische Ausgeglichenheit preisen. Ronald Reng, als Jugendlicher enthusiastischer Mittelstreckenläufer, macht sich auf die Suche nach seinem eigenen, verlorenen Laufgefühl und der Antwort auf die eine Frage: Warum laufen wir?

In this engaging collection of essays, author and athlete John Jerome celebrates the simplicity and freedom of running. With contagious passion, he strips away fads and myths to offer basic guidelines for participants, from beginning joggers to those preparing for marathons. For years Jerome recorded his thoughts and experiences during his daily training. As he ran, he discovered not only physical benefits, but philosophical ones as well.

Markus Torgeby was just 20 years old when he headed off into the remote Swedish forest to live as a recluse and dedicate himself to his one true passion: running.... He lived in a tent in the wilderness, braving the harsh Swedish winters - for four years. This is his story. A best seller in Sweden, the audiobook is a powerful exploration of running and personal well-being.

For as long as she can remember, Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross's life has been measured in seconds. The fewer, the better. But when the race is over, how do you know what to run towards next? In Chasing Grace, join Sanya as she helps you see your own experiences through God's eyes.

For decades, T. J. Bryan devoted herself to her profession, rising upward constantly. Suddenly, after reaching the pinnacle of her career, she was pushed from her lofty position. To save herself from despair, she, at age 64, impulsively decided to become a distance runner. Up to this point, her only athletic success revolved around aerobics classes when she was in her 40s and early 50s.

Alexandra had high hopes: the arse of an athlete, the waist of a supermodel, the speed of a gazelle. Defeated by gyms and bored of yoga, she decided to run. Her first attempt did not end well. Six years later, she has run five marathons in two continents. But, as her dad says, you run with your head as much as with your legs.

In It for the Long Run is ultrarunner Damian Hall’s story of running a first marathon aged 36, dressed as a toilet, and representing Great Britain four years later. His midlife-crisis running problem escalated to 100-mile ultramarathons and record-breaking bimbles, culminating in his 261-mile Pennine Way run in July 2020.

Two million years ago, Africa: A skinny, long-limbed creature who walks on two legs, can’t sprint, and has no weapons turns away from his under-nourished friends, and runs down a much stronger antelope. Dinner. Over succeeding generations, this creature evolves into one of the best distance runners on the planet: the human being. Yet in the age of modernity, we find ourselves unable to run without more than half of us suffering injury. This book looks at the injury epidemic in running and what the barefoot running movement believes are the causes of injury.

First broadcast in 1948, Sports Report is the longest-running radio sporting programme in the world and one of the BBC’s hardy perennials. Pat Murphy has been a reporter on the programme since 1981 and here he sifts comprehensively through the experiences of his contemporaries and those who made their mark on Sports Report in earlier decades. Drawing on unique access from the BBC Archives Unit, he highlights memorable moments from Sports Report.

In November 2019, Claire Smith became the first British athlete ever to complete a continuous Double Deca Iron Distance triathlon. 48 miles of swimming, 2,240 miles of cycling and 524 miles of running in 28 days, overcoming sleep deprivation, injuries and exhaustion in the process. However, but for a chance conversation, Claire may never have competed in triathlon at all - let alone achieve a podium place in one of the world’s hardest races.

At the age of 68, while still recovering from his second knee injury, Dr. Zeev Gilkis decided to give himself an unusual present for his 70th birthday. He dreamed of running a full marathon, and completing the seventh decade of his life seemed to him the ideal timing to do so. Perhaps this ambitious goal wouldn’t have been so unusual, had he been a very physically active person in his younger years. But Zeev is a cancer survivor who began his "career" in sports relatively late, in his mid-60s.

The Race to Be Myself is an intimate exploration of Caster Semenya's many identities, told for the first time by Caster herself. In the book, Caster will detail what went on behind the scenes when she found international fame, how it felt to have her body dissected for the whole world to see. Caster will explore how the politics of race, gender, and sexuality play out at the highest levels of competitive sports and why she is determined to continue the fight for her and others right to run free.

In this powerful memoir, Tony reveals how he summoned the courage to "run with purpose" during the times when racial tensions ran high as he grew from a boy trapped by the racial divide in Birmingham, Alabama, into a successful man and football hero. Inspirational and uplifting, Touchdown Tony is not only a behind-the-scenes look at a great football player's life and career; it is also a story of redemption and one man's hope to change the future.

Donna Deegan was only months from realizing her dream of launching the nation's first national breast cancer marathon when she was diagnosed with the disease for the third time. While still committed to the race, Deegan began searching for answers beyond the conventional. As she opened one door, it led to the next. What started as a quest for a cure became a physical and spiritual rebirth. Deegan takes us along on her journey with great candor and humor.

The inspiring story of Ben Smith – who ran 401 marathons in 401 days with minimal support, to raise money for Stonewall and Kidscape. On 1 September 2015, Ben Smith set out from Bristol. Over the next 401 days, he would burn an estimated 2.4 million calories; run with almost 10,000 people; inspire almost 600 first-time marathon runners and visit 101 schools. He would also raise in excess of £325,000 for charity.

Jason Dunkerley’s Visions of Hope: Running Towards My Own Truth is the inspiring autobiography of a distinguished Canadian middle-distance runner, who has been blind from birth due to a congenital eye condition. He achieved international acclaim as a five-time Paralympic medalist and world champion.