Athletics Books

Jim Gorant really knows his stuff. If you love sports and could use a good laugh, don't hesitate to pick up this book and devour it from cover to cover. Bravo to Mr. Gorant for getting out there and giving us the real feelings behind these events.

I bought this book being told it would be great even if I wasn't a sports fan. I am told Jim is very funny. After reading this book I realize both are true.
I am not much of a sports fan, but his writing is very engaging and entertaing in the same way Anthony Bourdaine(Kitchen Confidential) and David Searis(Me Talk Pretty One Day) are. He is also the same type of as humor as they are more akin to Bourdaine than Sedaris. I must admit to laughing out loud through every section of the book.
As for not being a sports fan he does a great job at bring you to the experience with his observatioons and gives the reader enough backgroud to get a good sense of the "experience". He keeps himself relatable to both sports fans and non sports fans alike with a great balance of passion and knowledge.
From his time with the people he meets in Daytona to the craziness of the Superbowl it seems he finds somthing that goes beyond just sports. He manages to find and look for a sort of good quality and in fans that is more human and less alienating than I would expect. He is introspective enough really breath in the experience. It's the perfect summer read and just in time for Fathers Day
(My dad is a sports fan)....I could recomend this to just about anyone!

Jim has a great way of showing how people share their love of sport. Fantastic story-teller, very humorous and laugh-out-loud.
-"Ian"

This is a beautiful book that makes a wonderful gift for any sports enthusiast. The book is large with very high quality photos.

It is unique and offers the reader a variety of sports and athletes to marvel at while he/she flips through the pages.

Be forewarned--the picture on the cover is by far the best in the book. That is the only reason that I was slightly disappointed when I received the box containing my purchase. I was very much in awe of the picture of Ali, and I was looking forward to a book full of images that were also interesting, full of emotion and reflective of the athlete. The pictures inside are fantastic, just not as moving as that on the cover.

I am a proud owner of Glory and show it to my guests when they come over. Recently I saw Glory on a shelf in a store and was stopped in my tracks by the cover photo of Ali. It glowed like a beacon from across the room. The photos by Corman are perfect in their simplicity and superb in their production. Glory is a gem.

My father is a huge sports enthusiast. His past includes coaching a few star baseball athletes. I am always at a loss for gifts for him as he is a collector of many things and most gifts don't hold a candle to what he already posseses. This book is a gift that gives him great pleasure. The photos, and the stories behind of them, are fascinating.

For the remainder of his life and when his obituary is published, Gary Barnett will be remembered as the coach who revitalized the football program at Northwestern University. In 1995, he lead the Wildcats to the Rosebowl. A year later the team tied for first with Ohio State. Barnett possessed superb skills as a motivational leader and mentor. It was not uncommon in the immediate wake of Northwestern's two consecutive Big Ten titles (the first of which marked the first time NU topped the conference since 1936 and the first time the team had posted a winning record in twenty-four years) for instructors to emphasize Barnett's unique management style.

Northwestern featured a team composed of genuine student athletes in an environment where academics were stressed on an equal basis with athletics. The 1995 and 1996 teams featured some great individual players who possessed enough character and strength to overcome their athletic deficiencies against more highly rated opponents. One of these players, Pat Fitzgerald is the current head coach of Northwestern.

As a darling of the media, Barnett was constantly offered employment by other football programs at other universities. This seriously hurt recruiting at Northwestern as rival school recruiters suggested to high school seniors that it was foolish to commit to the Wildcats when it seemed likely that Coach Barnett was about to make a hasty exit.

Regrettably, Barnett succumbed to the siren's call and opted out of his contract (taking several top recruits with him) and he accepted a lucrative position at the University of Colorado in 1999. While he came within a game of capturing the National Championship, Barnett's reputation suffered when his athletic program was mired in constant scandals and controversies. Barnett seemed to be thoroughly discredited by the time of his dismissal from Colorado.

Northwestern was fortunate to hire the late Randy Walker to succeed Barnett. Before his death, Walker managed to keep the football team competitive and he won one additional conference title.

This is a memoir of the happier times before success spoiled Barnett. There is a residual bitterness on the part of some Northwestern fans towards Barnett. I can understand that. I can also appreciate Barnett's desire to achieve financial success for his family and to return to Colorado where they had lived for many years and where he formerly worked as an assistant coach under Bill McCartney (when the Buffaloes won the National Championship). For myself, I appreciate what Barnett achieved in Evanston and I am thankful for his efforts that resulted in the renovation of Dyche Stadium (now called Ryan Field) and improved training facilities. There are still some valuable life lessons to be learned from what occurred on Central Street more than a dozen years ago.

Someday, I hope Barnett has an opportunity to redeem himself by accepting another coaching position. It would be wonderful and reaffirming if Barnett could succeed with a new team and prove that the principles that he formerly espoused were not empty platitudes.

This book in a enjoyable book that highlights Northwestern's Rose Bowl Trip. Even if you are not a NU fan you will find this book very interesting and at the end you will be cheering on NU throughout the book. It explains how Gary Barnett took a "nothing" NU football team to be top-ranked and possibly contend for the national championship.

Barnett writes about success not only in football but in life. I was so touched by this book that I wrote Barnett a letter telling him how good the book was.

You will enjoy!

Gary Barnett is one of those guys you'd like to have a beer with....A master of motivation and getting young people to believe in themselves (even when the facts say they shouldn't!) Barnett works from everyday experiences and personal convictions to extract the absolute best from his players. The result is not only the greatest turn around of an entire collegiate program in history, but the "release" of some truly gifted student athletes into the world. I virtually read this book in one sitting -- I simply could not put it down. Someday, I going to have to find a way to buy Barnett that beer, just to get the advance copy of his sequel. By the way, Gary, just exactly was that "horrid" event in college, for which you got into so much trouble? The intrigue is killing me

This promises to be THE book on the NCAA college basketball tournament - all the stats, matchups, insights and interviews we've been craving since March Madness became 'The Spring Superbowl.'

You can't put this book down. Interview after interview, you are amazed at the stories behind each legend. The best part is that this is basically a compliation of mini-autobiographies, but narrated as a conversation between good friends. The book starts with an interview with Rey Meyer - it reminds you how lucky the author was to have interviewed him before his passing away. You are also amazed at the hard work, passion and perseverance of Eddie Einhorn. If you love basketball (or even just "like" sports), this is the book for you.

Fans of college basketball will enjoy the information and stories provided in this book. The book is a collection of interviews, set forth in story format, in which the author met and interviewed with a number of significant figures in college basketball, including coaches, media, and players.

There are many great stories here, and the book is divided up into different stories on the different personalities, so it makes for an accessible read. You can pick up the book, read one article, then put it down. I found the stories by the coaches to be among the most entertaining: Coach K, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino, Dean Smith, Guy Lewis and others all provide insightful stories.

Also, the book puts college basketball in its historical context, with a focus on the first televised basketball game, UCLA vs. Houston, played in the Astrodome. Overall a very informative and entertaining book, I would strongly recommend it to any college basketball fan.

Cissik did a very thorough job researching Olympic-style weightlifting - in fact, this text reads like a research paper/thesis. Having said that, the text might be a little too formal for some.

My first impression when I opened a light and skinny envelop of the delivered book was that of opening some business correspondence letter. The book is only 132 pages, of black and weight print that could be produced on a home printer, the era preceding of hp-laser or inkjet. Though the first edition came in 1997, it immediately revived my memory of the struggle to print and publish my own book on those days. It is a painful experience for authors to meddle with so many hurdles in order to get their information to the reader. Then, there is my bias in favor of a fellow weightlifter attempting to maintain a dying sport form retiring to history archives.

In total contravention to the inclusive format of Drechsler's Weightlifting Encyclopedia and El-Hewie's Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training, Cissik sticks to the hardcore of old fashion Weightlifting. The classical two lifts; Clean and Jerk and Snatch, are described, together with their immediate supporting exercises. The back, front, and overhead squat; deadlift with various handgrips and height of pull; goodmorning in standing, seating, and ground positions; pullover, and stretching is all that trainees need to advance in weightlifting. That is a bold and daring confrontation of appealing consumerism that thrives on promoting expensive machines, fancy exercise accessories, and endless exercises that do little, if any, good to fitness.

The simplicity, clarity, and accuracy of Cissik's Introduction outweighs it poor production quality and attests to the author's courage to stand tall on substance. Although, the book is intended as an introduction, the above mentioned attributes make the book practical and convenient for modern day busy people. In addition, each chapter begins with neat tabulated highlights and basic contents and ends with a list of references. Inside the chapters, the author places the reference citation where needed in every page.

Its drawbacks are:

(1) Complete omission of individualized peripheral training exercises. Modern weightlifters rival bodybuilders; on bulk and definition, and powerlifters; on peak isometric strength. Many young weightlifters could not attain the astronomically high level of modern international records because of lack of muscular bulk. Cissik's old fashion training emphasizes the technique of lifting and periodization for robust, explosive power, yet falls short on massing slow twitching muscle fibers. Those require dedicated bodybuilding training during off season or prior to committing to protracted competitive weightlifting career.

The fear that bodybuilding and powerlifting exercises would do away with the mental skill, specific to the explosive full range of motion and highly coordinated dynamics of weightlifting, is well understood and recognized by experienced lifters and coaches. However, modern lifters have sufficient resources to ease the highly toned and acutely inflamed structures caused by such repetitive and depleting modes of exercising. Yoga, Pilates, Stretch, UV booths, saunas, and massage are few such modern remedies for the side effects of strengthening through controlled motion exercising. That however raises the stakes of heart and cellular reserves. Could the heart tolerate multiple overloads? Could the cellular metabolism adapt its enzymatic machinery to oppositely demanding activities? or, could the trainee have access to adequate health knowledge in dealing with such double sword training modes? Cissik's answer is: simplicity; a wise, safe, and practical choice.

(2) Jumping straight in the air during the pull isn't scientific. Although few great lifters do jump, the laws of mechanics forbid jumping. It wastes energy. Explosive extension isn't synonymous with jumping. Cissik is rightfully insisting on not spreading the feet sideways, yet wrongfully advises jumping. Jumping might be stimulating, yet wasteful.

(3) The deep squat during the amortization phase portrays to some that "deep" is a requirement for lifting. It is better to emphasize that squatting should be as high as it is needed to catch the barbell at its (the barbell) final destination. Unnecessarily deep squat should be reserved for training, stretching, and strengthening.


Mohamed F. El-Hewie
Author of
Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training

This book is MUCH better than the first edition. The beginning of the book is a concise description of the Olympic exercises and associated assistance exercises. This is good for the beginning lifter. The second half of the book is on workout design. It is EXCELLENT and draws heavily on EASTERN EUROPEAN texts (They always have the best lifters!). The book is worth buying for this section. Powerlifters and fitness buffs can use the principles outlined here to greatly improve their progress. Every chapter is heavily referenced for those who are interested in learning more.

Taylor captures the realities of starting a running program beautifully and with LOL humor. If you're a runner, don't miss this.

After agreeing to sponsor a friend of his for the NYC Marathon, Russell Taylor decides that he would like to run that marathon the following year. Taylor is nearly 40 years old and is not a runner. "The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner" is Taylor's account of training for the NYC Marathon. The subtitle for this book covers exactly how crazy he is: "an unfit Londoner's attempt to run the New York City Marathon from scratch".

Russell Taylor is, apparently a humor writer, and so this book is filled with humorous observations on running, training, races, and why exactly he is doing this. Some of it is actually quite funny and I honestly found myself chuckling out loud a couple of times. Unfortunately, when I wasn't chuckling I was reading and hoping that something interesting would be on the next page. Often enough there wasn't. As a runner I am drawn to books about running and about marathons so I figured this book would be a natural fit, but it was a struggle to get through this one. Taylor includes a section of his training diary and that section was the single least interesting part of the book. It just dragged on and on and on. Sort of like this review.

Then Taylor gets to the races. As a part of his training Taylor ran several races and his racecourse descriptions and his feelings during the race (he made some interesting decisions as to which ones to run) were fascinating and funny. Once again I started enjoying parts of the book. The marathon itself seemed a little skimpy in the description.

I just can't recommend "The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner" to anyone. There are far better books about one man's journey to race (try "To the Edge" by Kirk Johnson for a more interesting book about an ultramarathon), and unfortunately when the humor stops there isn't much here to hold my interest. Pass on this one.

-Joe Sherry

Taylor is a professional British comic writer, which shows: the book's well written, funny, and British. British in a P. G. Wodehouse, not a ribald way. Much of the humor derives from his observations of runners' everyday peculiarities, most of which may be seen in the new world as well. The book is also a bit sad, because (I think) Taylor tried to overcome middle aged unfitness too quickly - to run the NY Marathon - and paid a price. The price was all post-NY so I'll not reveal details. But check his 1/2 marathon time and his NY time: the former predicts over 20 minutes better than he ran in NY. Check also his training heart rates: too high. It's fair to assume he ran the marathon before he was ready. But as he writes the "marathon"'s a unique brand; who'd want to read about his travails trying to run merely 13.1 miles?

Scholars today generally consider Pindar (ca 513-438 BC) to be the best lyric poet of ancient Greece. Among the ancients Pindar's high-repute was also, with out a doubt, universally accepted. We may base this on account of Plato's admiration of him, who spiritedly quotes and alludes to Pindar more than a dozen times in his dialogues. Thus, Plato's nod of approval undoubtedly seals Pindar's canonicity as a legitimate poet. Practically, the Odes of Pindar celebrate--and are an encomium of--the victories of athletes in the pan-hellenic games. Events ranged from wrestling to chariot-races, from boxing to foot-races and the pentathlon, to name a few. Adding a further charm, flare and substance to the odes are the pithy mythological tales worked into the theme of each poem: the tales told were of the gods, and or, heroes traditionally tied to the cities in which the games were held--where the victorious athletes gained their crown. The basic structure of the odes is comprised of three portions: (1) they open and close with praise of the victor, (2) have a central mythological tale, (3) and conclude with moral, and or, didactic admonitions with religious and philosophical implications. In a word, the Odes of Pindar are phenomenal poetry and the student of the classical world cannot pass the Odes over, since they embody the spirit of classical Greece; and general lovers of poetry cannot pass the Odes over, simply because they are good poetry. Therefore, no classicist or lover of poetry should be without the Odes of Pindar in their collection.

Excerpt from (Isthmian, 6.1): "...if any man delights in expense and effort/ And sets in action high gifts shaped by the Gods/ And with destiny/ Plants the glory which he desires/ Already he casts his anchor on the furtest edge of bliss,/ And the Gods honor him."

The late Richmond Lattimore was a poet and a classical scholar. He held, in the opinion of many, an outstanding place among American translators of the classical literature. In the role of a scholar of Greek, he published late in life of series of translations from the New Testament, eventually collected in one volume; it is dedicated to the sense of the Greek text, without theological commitments. In a combined role he was responsible for a long series of distinguished translations, alone and with collaborators, or as an editor.

He appeared as all three in the University of Chicago Press "Greek Tragedies," and as translator-poet of the "The Iliad," "The Odyssey", Hesiod (Theogony, Works and Days, and Shield of Heracles), and, in the case at hand, the large-scale lyrics of Pindar (c. 518-438 BC). Originally published by the University of Chicago Press in 1947, and reprinted in paperback in that form, it was reissued in a revised translation in 1976, a few years after C.M. Bowra's British translation had appeared as a Penguin Classic. The Odes are songs for public performance in honor of athletes and other victors (owners of horses and chariot teams) at the major Games of classical Greece in the years around the Persian Wars.

Although Lattimore's Homeric translations are quite well known, and seem to remain continuously in print, his version of Pindar seems to have suffered from the relative obscurity of this magnificent, but difficult, poet, who has almost always found more favor with classical scholars than the public. Given the difficulties in translating his rich, densely allusive, and often terribly obscure poems celebrating long-forgotten athletic contests, this is not surprising.

Lattimore manages to give exceptionally clear translations, without masking the difficulties in following Pindar's lines of thought. His commentary is pretty sparse (as usual), which at least spares most of it from becoming outdated as approaches to Pindar shift. As in most translations (but not Bowra's) the Epinician (Victory) poems are presented in their traditional order, in sets according to the Games (Olympic, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian) with which ancient scholars associated them (not always correctly).

Another translation of the Odes, by G.S. Conway, has been reprinted in Everyman Paperback Classics as "The Odes: and Selected Fragments," with an excellent introduction, expanded notes, and translations of additional texts, some fairly substantial, by Richard Stoneman. Stoneman provides a good account of trends in Pindar studies; I have discussed some of the issues he raises in my review of that volume.

A fourth alternative, with a translation facing the Greek texts, is the Loeb Classical Library edition, re-edited in two volumes by William H. Race (1997), which is probably a bit too intimidating for the merely curious reader.

It should be noted that this and several other translations of Pindaros (the full Greek form) have been appearing on the listings as the work of "Peter Pindar". (Or formerly were, when this review was first written, and for quite a while after I reported it to Amazon.) This was a pseudonym for John Wolcot, an eighteenth century physician and author from Cornwall, and seems to have been used by others as well. Its only connection with the Greek poet is the borrowing of his name.

I am here reviewing C. M. Bowra's translation of "The Odes of Pindar" for the Penguin Classics, not Richmond Lattimore's version from the University of Chicago Press, my review of which has been appearing under this heading as well. Fortunately, I rank Bowra's work as highly as Lattimore's, so I won't have to quibble over how many stars should be assigned. Lattimore's translation is, at the moment, out of print; one hopes that Penguin will keep Bowra's available. I will refer to a third translation, as well.

Pindar was one of the most famous poets of ancient Greece, and besides fragments (which are all that survive of most of his rivals) we have four reasonably intact books out of a much larger collection. As it happens, the four books contain celebrations of victors at major Games (Olympic and three others, Pythian, Isthmian, and Nemean), and are otherwise unlike what moderns think of as typical poetry. They are also densely allusive, and in a Greek which is generally acknowledged to be as difficult to follow as it is beautiful. My own command of Greek is too small to judge, but Bowra is one of several modern translators who have managed to persuade me to read him for pleasure, rather just than for his allusions to myths and heroic legend.

Bowra, who also wrote a major work on Pindar, provides useful annotations to a very attractive translation. He also decided to arrange the poems according to their likely dates, or at least the dates assigned to them by ancient scholars who had list of victors in the various games. There are inherent problems with this, since some of the Odes actually relate to victories in other Games, and some were certainly performed at delayed celebrations. On the whole, however, it does give some sense of Pindar as a developing poet, and of the Victory Ode as a form continuing to grow during his career.

The real drawback is the need to consult a table of references to find any given poem. This can be a real annoyance for a student if Bowra is the only translation you have on hand, and you really want to check a statement supported by a reference to, say, Olympian 3, lines 7 to 10. In most translations, you can just follow the page headings.

Bowra's critical writings on Pindar are now considered obsolete -- at least for the moment His translation remains worth reading, and compares well with Lattimore's, and with Richard Stoneman's recent expanded edition, with excellent critical material, of G.S. Conway's translation of the Odes, which first appeared a few years after Bowra's.

This last was Issued as "Odes: and Selected Fragments," in the Everyman Paperback Classics series, and I have reviewed it, with a more extended discussion of Pindar and related critical disputes. I am glad to have all three; it would be nice if all of them were all in print simultaneously. A fourth alternative, with a translation facing the Greek texts, is the Loeb Classical Library edition, re-edited in two volumes by William H. Race (1997), which is probably a bit too intimidating for the merely curious reader.

Steve Ilg writes with the goal of enhancing your enjoyment of your outdoor activity. Skiing, hiking, mountain climbing, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and many other "sports" are enjoyed by millions of weekend warriors, but seldom do we "train" for our outings. If your looking for a "get fit quick" scheme, this isn't it. It is a sensible, no nonsense approach to a lifetime of health and fitness. If followed, it is the best training guide written for the outdoor athlete, or anyone wanting to get a little more out of life. Excellent exercise descriptions, programs with movements modeled by the author. Steve Ilg is obviously well read, and it is reflected in his ability to convey his thoughts on paper

Ilg obviously knows his stuff and he conveys it well. Easy to read, to follow,but not necessarily to do. Expect hard work. However, if you do, you will become a better athlete in whatever sport you enjoy.

There is a lot of good information in this book. Much of it was probably considered pretty revolutionary back in 1987, when the book was first published. Time has validated a lot of Ilg's approach, and some of the concepts are pretty mainstream now; in other words, it's mostly stood the test of time.

This is a concept book. Although it contains fairly specific ideas for workouts, the author is clearly trying to get the reader to rethink his/her workout, along with the whole idea of an outdoor recreationist as athlete. The book's main value is not in presenting the reader with a list of individual exercises, but in teaching the reader to apply certain concepts and develop a functional workout whose goal is to improve performance in one or more outdoor sports. In fact, some of the specific suggestions for exercise and nutrition are a bit dated, but that doesn't really detract from the book's value: the concepts still hold true, with specifics informed by more recent information.

The biggest downside to this book -- and it is a big one -- is the quality of the prose. All would-be authors repeat after me: before subverting a form, I will first understand it. Sure, standard expository writing is stodgy at times, but if you're going to chuck things like overall organization, sentence structure, and diction out the window, you damn well ought to replace them with something better. Calling Ilg's prose purple is a profound understatement: his enthusiasm for his subject, combined with a clear lack of experience as a writer, causes him to practically pitch the whole paintpot at each and every page. If that were not enough, the frequent interjection of pithy maxims by really cool people is a major irritation. I like cool quotes, too, but I question whether a book about athletic training is really enhanced by bon mots from sources such as Thoreau, T. S. Eliot, Immanuel Kant, Robert Louis Stevenson, LaRochefoucauld, etc. Quotes about the ecstatic union of mind, body, and nature are much more meaningful when they come from people who actually had such experiences, versus sitting at home and writing about them.

The book's brevity is its saving grace. Ilg's subjects are short enough that even his worst meandering -- and it is bad, very bad -- can't lead you too far astray.

"By the Book" chronicles the life of Joe Paterno. It begins with a description of his childhood and prep school years in Brooklyn, takes us through his football career at Brown University, and how he became the head coach at Penn State. The book is rich with descriptions of Penn State players and seasons up through the 1988 season. But, this book is much more than a football story. It's a view into Joe Pa's heart and soul. It is a portrayal of his values, his motivations, his vision and dreams. These, not just for his football team, but for his family, his university, and his profession. Much more than a fun read for Penn State fans, it is a valuable resource for aspiring coaches and players searching to find the essence of their relationship to their sport.

This book is a must read for football fans, coaches, players, and for anyone interested in how to succeed in sports competition. Although it is his life story, one can garner many pearls of wisdom about how to succeed, how to compete in an honest and sincere way, and the values that must be instilled in any sports players, young and old. You can find out why a man would turn down a 1 million job to coach at Penn State for 100K. Or why Joe Paterno rolls up his pants for games. Most of all, you can find the nuances and ideals behind the most successful college football coach, and the most successful college football program, in history.

Published before the 1989 season, Paterno: By the Book provides a great deal of insight into the mind of one of the greatest college football coaches ever. The book is more memorable for Paterno's musings on life, recruiting, winning, losing and growing up with a strong mother rather than for his specific thoughts on the numerous games he has coached. Assuming the book is in fact an accurate portrayal of Paterno, it is clear that he will never voluntarily step down from Penn State, no matter how bad things get. He is determined and driven to succeed. He will not quit and he will not go quietly. From many of his remarks in the book about Penn State, it is clear he feels the same way a number of his supporters do, Penn State owes Joe loyalty for his many years of service. A solid sports book about sports...and life.

This book starts off a little slow in that Paula's initial thoughts seem to jump around a bit in the first chapter. She seems compelled to defend herself right off the bat regarding her 2004 Olympics performance, which is a shame, because she is truly the world's best female marathoner. Once past the introduction, the book progresses in a more organized fashion that is easier to follow. I loved reading Paula's insights into her performances. She lays it all out there and her determination and grit are pure and uncensored. Paula is an incredible athlete and her talent and will to win are amazing. I was very inspired as a runner myself and admire Paula all the more after reading her story. Looking forward to more from her in the future.

Being a runner, I love reading about runners, and their stories. Paula Radcliffe comes across in this book with frank honesty. She doesn't sugarcoat it, and tells it straight. She comes across confident, but human, like just another person. Granted, she is an elite athlete that has accomplished much in her life, but unlike some autobiographies, she doesn't sit there and tell you how great she is.

I learned a lot about Radcliffe herself in the book, along with a lot of interesting things about running, injuries, dealing with injuries, the triumph of her victories, the agony of her defeats, her drive to always give it her all, and that she is quite funny at times throughout the book.

Also, for those of you that don't know, she is asthmatic and if you know someone that has asthma and struggles with it, get them a copy of this book. It will inspire them.

This book really starts in Chapter 4 for the running enthusiast. The first three chapters provide an insight into Paula Radcliffe's childhood. The final 17 chapters provide indepth descriptions of the motivation, injury, pain, perseverance and acheivement of a deicated runner. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the emotional, psychological and physical characteristics of a serious and successful athlete.