The Greatest: The Haile Gebreselassie Story by Jim Denison
Biography of the era's greatest distance runner, detailing his achievements on the track and road, and at home in Ethiopia.
5 user reviews of The Greatest: The Haile Gebreselassie Story by Jim Denison See all
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Halie Gebreselassie is one of my idols, even met him once at a race. This book follows Gebreselassie`s life from growing up in poverty and the hard work that has made him one of the greatest athletes in distanc
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truely poor very little about the man where he come from etc.i thought haile ran marathons as well as track ,just not mentioned
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Didn't rate this book, seemed to be based on maybe three or four meetings with Haille and being at a couple of press conferences. Very little about the man, his running background. Nothing about his marathons a
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I normally don't like biographies but found this exceptional. Denison is a great writer who grabs your attention straight away and holds it. As for the subject matter... not bad. Not bad at all!
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Well worth a read. Gives good background to Haile Gebreselasie as a runner and as a man although at time it tended to read as a very, very long press release. Perhaps this man is in fact perfect but if you were
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The top 5 that I've yet to get are: 1.The Lore of Running. 2.The Story of the London Marathon. 3. Haile Gebs autobiogaphy. 4. 3:59.4 5. Feet in the Clouds. I think everybody, seemingly, has an opinion, good or bad on Feet in the Clouds.
Posted: 28/06/2006 at 06:32
since no one mentioned 'the looniness of the long distance runner' i shall.
Posted: 28/06/2006 at 08:33
Both of Ron Hills books the Long Hard Road and the Long hard Road - difficult to get hold of, but well worth reading and you'll never think you train hard again. Also anything by Alistair Aitken, and The Competetive Runners Hand Book by Bob Glover, all the schedules and advice you need what ever standard. Ones not to read Paula Radcliffe's and Steve Monighetti's autobiography.
Posted: 28/06/2006 at 09:19
The Lore of Running, Feet in the Clouds and a big Australian book on sports nutrition get my vote. Anything that alludes to "Women's Running" on the title page is probably best avoided by people who want to run rather than just read about the motivating and empowering effects of running. And St Paula's autobiography is unspeakably bad.
Posted: 28/06/2006 at 09:54
Competitive Runners handbook by Bob Glover is a good informative read not very thrilling though Or Running to the top by Arthur Lydiard if you want to try mega-mileage
Posted: 28/06/2006 at 20:54
Sorry Velociraptor I don't agree - I have 'The complete book of running for women' by C. Kovalchik and I found it really good - very useful chapters on the influence on menstrual cycle on running, good suggestions on reps workouts and excellent schedules from 5k to marathon - I have been following them for the past few months and thye have helped me to improve my 10k personal best from 55.12 (my first attempt) to 50.11. I am finding 'Advanced marathoning' by Douglas and Pfizinger FABULOUS - the schedules are still too challenging for me, but still there is so much good stuff in that book! Truly recommended. AND another vote for the 'Looniness of the long distance runner' - it really funny and well written.
Posted: 28/06/2006 at 21:23
Started reading 'The Perfect Distance' about the rivalry between Coe and Ovett. Fascinating read (and I've got both their autobiographies from the 80s). Brings back some great memories. Recommended.
Posted: 30/06/2006 at 06:54
Run the Comrades by Bruce Fordyce I shall be using this as my training guide next year.
Posted: 30/06/2006 at 08:52
I've not got through 5 yet but I can give you a view on some: Ultra Marathon Man - must read, truly inspirational and funny Looniness of the long distance runner - funny, easy read...good for a holiday Feet in the Clouds - reading this now. A bit heavy going in places but interesting all the same 26.2 Marathon Stories - don't touch with a barge-pole. This is rubbish!
Posted: 27/02/2007 at 15:48
Feet In The Clouds - this also covers a meeting between the author and Jos Naylor Flanagans Run - by Tom McNab, have re-read this several times, easy read when you are struggling to do any training To The Edge - about the ultra Badwater race through Death Valley by Kirk Johnson and his journey to recover after the suicide of his brother. Perfect Distance - huge Ovett fan Paula - insight into what Paula actually goes through to be as successful as she is
Posted: 27/02/2007 at 19:35
I can't believe that nobody has mentioned "The complete book of running" by James Fixx. I found this a truly motivational book by a man who turned to running late in life and although it is a bit dated having been written in the 70's virtually everything in it still applies today.
Posted: 19/03/2007 at 11:09
Actually you can still get "Joss Naylor MBE was Here" for £2 from Rathbones in Keswick (tel. 017687 72722). You're right Amy, it's a fantastic book (well, pamphlet). Cheers, DB.
Posted: 19/03/2007 at 11:51
I'm with Steve. Feet in the Clouds is exceptionally good, and I've recently discovered George Sheehan. Very inspiring, particularly for the more... mature runner. Depends what you like though. I don't usually have much interest in reading books by serious competitive runners because few of them seem to write well. Another favourite is "26.2" by Julie Welch. A book about ordinary people running the FLM. The first running book I read, and still one of the best.
Posted: 27/03/2007 at 22:56
Norrie Williamson's book Everyone's Guide to Distance Running is a good read, takes a lot of ideas from Noakes but slightly easier to read. The best chapter in Noakes is the 'training the mind' section which anyone doing a marathon / Ironman should read.
Posted: 27/03/2007 at 23:01
In addition to the above, I'd add: Running with legends by Michael Sandrock. 21 chapters, each focussing on a different runner, their background, training and racing. Fascinating stories, like Priscilla Welsh training in 125 mile/hr winds in Shetland, and Steve Jones breaking the World Record at Chicago two years running. I only wish there was a newer edition as it only covers legends up until about the mid-nineties when it was published.
Posted: 29/03/2007 at 17:22
The Running Man - Gilbert Tuhabonye's autobiography. first hand account of genocide and battle to run in the Olympics Barefoot Runner - Abebe Bikila biog...really interesting recall of the marathon runners career and life Footprints in the Snow - I thought this was a true story, but turns out it's a novel. Account of eastern block woman's struggle to compete in running with backdrop of drug abuse and state intervention Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (not Looniness) - sorry, I don't get this. Turns out it is a series of short stories with only the first one to do with running (and that's not very good either). Leave this one alone.
Posted: 01/10/2007 at 15:07
Running through the Wall - personal encounters with the ultramarathon. Fascinating even if you havent done one Roger Bannister's The First Four Minutes - very interesting, he's remarkably modest and the updated edition has lots to say about sport.
Posted: 17/10/2007 at 12:41
I am new to running and have a few books on the go - by far the most accessible and informative for me is The Competetive Runner by Bob Glover. It tells me exactly what I need to know in straight talking terms - it is precise and technical enough without being intimidating. It is highly readable and I struggle to put this book down between runs! I have also have The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik - very helpful but with a stronger focus on being motivational, I would say - a very useful addition to your book collection though. I have got Paula Radcliffe's autob, but given its had such a bad press on this forum might put off reading it for a while - I was hoping I would find it both inspirational and motivating...? The Great North Run Running Guides that can be downloaded in pdf (for £3.50 each) via the Great Run website are excellent little reads/guides. I have just downloaded the Beginners guide. HTH, A
Posted: 22/10/2007 at 09:28
Pfitzinger's "Advanced Marathoning". The Bible. Not really for beginners..... more for advanced marathoners... (!). Noakes "Lore of Running". OK. Some good bits. Need to update mine to the latest version.
Posted: 16/10/2008 at 12:20
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami And FITC obviously
Posted: 16/10/2008 at 14:30
I think running books divide into two catgories; how-to books on running, and narrative books on running. The how-to books further subdivide into compendiums (those that cover "all'" running knowledge) and training manuals (those that prepare you for a specific race distance.) In terms of how-to books, most are very similar; not "eas"y reading, and fundamentally dictionary-like in nature ( you dip in and out of them when you want to know something.) I'd say that while most are useful to some extent of another, Noakes (Lore of Running) is easily the most comprehensive and therefore the one I'd buy. Glover is almost as good as well as cheaper and smaller. In terms of training manual books, the best is the probably one that most closely matches your profile and goals. With that said, Pfitzinger is probably the best in objective terms; it was a bible for me and I went under 3 hour for the marathon by following his advice. Countless runners use it. In terms of narrative books easily the best one I've read is Duel in the Sun by John Brant (the story of the epic Boston Marathon between Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley.) Feet in the Clouds runs it a very close second. You can find Duel at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Duel-Sun-Beardsley-Americas-Greatest/dp/1594862621/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1236496490&sr=8-2 The other kind of "narrative" book is the biography and these I find unreadable. Lance Armstrong's two books mainly convinced me that while undoubtably an awesome athlete, he is a deeply unlikeable individual (and nothing I have seen or heard since has persuaded me otherwise) while I found Dean Karnazes self-inflated ego almost as epic as stories of his runs. Both would do well to learn lessons in humility from Joss Naylor whose achievements are just as impressive but whose modesty and retiring nature have left most not even knowing his name.
Posted: 08/03/2009 at 07:26
Good summary from Funt.A lot depends on whether you want "a good book" to help your running, or "a good read" to help you unwind from it. It's not just books that divide into categories, but the readers. I can see why serious competitve runners want manuals and auto/biographies of elite athletes. As a literate die-hard plodder I look for good writing first and foremost, almost regardless of the format. I've found that in general, I greatly prefer good writing by average runners than average writing by good runners. It's all highly subjective but I find Dr George Sheehan's work greatly undervalued. He was a philosopher and thinker as well as a keen runner. He also wrote exceptionally well. If I was financially independent and just needed a hobby, I would repackage and republish Sheehan for a modern audience. You can read some of his essays here -- http://www.georgesheehan.com/ I also love the scholarliness of Noakes and the eye-opening qualities of Feet In The Clouds. And the Glover books are probably the best compromise between readability and usefulness for the newish runner.
Posted: 16/03/2009 at 11:25
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- Price: £7.82
- Year: from 2004
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