I'll save you the trouble - she does not address any controversy in any meaningful way and the book is filled with platitudes.
I haven't read it actually, but I'd be surprised to find anything else.
If anyone who downvoted this sentiment ends up reading the book and a) finds breaking news or b) finds that it is a well-written and worth the read, please let me know
I'd read a book about Edna Kiplagat too or Joanie--those women have great stories to tell. Like how Joanie got ready for the '84 Oly gold race in LA and how that cemented her legacy.
Joanie's autobiography:
Benoit, Joan, and Sally Baker. Running Tide. Alfred A. Knopf, 1987.
Kara Goucher has a book coming out. I have met Kara a couple of times. Seems nice enough. Her accomplishments are certainly impressive.
At the same time, nothing of what I know about her (or almost any other elite runner) would compel me to buy a biography on any of them. Aside from her medals she is mostly known for being part of the Salazar scandal. A scandal that is pretty well documented already.
In thinking on this, I was trying to think of the runners whose lives I think are interesting enough to warrant a book. I came up with Roger Bannister, Billy Mills, and Louie Zamperini. I have had the great luck to have met all three although I cannot say I spent a ton of time with any. Bannister is interesting in part because he was the first to do something, but to me it was what he did after and even the idea of being in medical school (and doing some research that interests me while there) is part of the appeal. I will say Perfect Mile to me is a great read but I also did not see enough about Santee or Landy to warrant a book just about as individuals.)
Mills gets in for his being a Native American. I almost added Jim Thorpe, but I do not think of his as a "runner". Track athlete yes (and the greatest American athlete of the 20th century in my book).
Zamperini---my fondness for him cannot be measured. But my interest in him is more because of his experience in WW2 and also the life he led after more than his track accomplishments. If WW2 never happens and Zamperini goes on to win a lot of medals and maybe set some WRs, I don't think I would be interested in an entire book on him.
Again, I enjoy reading about runners. A chapter in a book or a long form article about an individual runner, but a book? Not many are going to reach that threshold for me.
As soon as I hit "Create thread" I will probably think of another runner or two who might fit the bill for me.
Anyone come to mind for you? And this needs to be someone well known and regarded as a runner, not a well known person who runs.
If you care about the sport of running, do NOT buy Kara Goucher's book.
It amazes me that someone and or some people actually suggested to Kara that she should write a book. That being said, maybe there's a story and or "Hook" in this book that is appealing. If so, I haven't heard about it. If someone suggested to me to write a book about myself, I would have to SERIOUSLY consider why. How will my story impact someone's life. There needs to be a message, a plot, something that goes beyond the obvious subject matter (Pro Runner).
Again, Kara doesn't know when to shut up and stop seeking the spotlight.
A lot of people on this board conflate a woman having a career with "a narcissist seeking attention." Kara, like many runners, is an introvert who just wants to eat Chipotle in her hotel room after a broadcast.
I'm interested in her personal POV about NOP. No one else is talking. We have pro publica journalism and a doc about Nike and Salazar that relies a lot on glam training clips like treadmill running in the pool (AT ALL COSTS, they will do anything for an edge!!) and clenched faces at a finish line. It was entertaining (Malcolm Gladwell saying Mary Cain's parents shoulda known better) but it was superficial with no real insider knowledge.
Without an understanding of the past, it is a hard slog to create a better future. For a book that conveys a wealth of information about how Ten of the all time greats of athletics made the sport what it is today, read "The Five & Ten Men", by Richard Amery. It comprises the biographies of Ten elite athletes, the only men in the world to have held both the 5km & 10km world records (there are now eleven). Written in a whimsical, yet historically accurate & rich content style, it is a fascinating read. Initially I thought this book would appeal only to a very select group, the athletic "die hards". How wrong I was ! - available online via Amazon.
I can't help but notice that most of the posters think the male authors have stories worth telling, but the female authors don't.
I'd be interested in reading about Kara, no sarcasm. She was adopted early on, and as an adoptee myself, I would relate.
What do you mean, she was adopted early on? I have never heard this. Her father was killed and later her mother remarried but was she adopted? I don’t think so but please correct me if I am wrong. Having a stepfather is different from being adopted in the traditional sense.
I’m a woman and I have NO interest in reading Kara’s book or Fleshman’s dreck. Deena Kastor’s was pointless too. I really liked Bill Rodger’s Marathon Man though.
I read Fleshman's book and thought it was quite interesting. The divorce news clarified a feeling I was getting from the last part of the book.
I recommend Lorraine Moller's memoir if you can find it.
I believe Lorraine Moller's book is available on Amazon Kindle/library.
For me, existing bios worth reading: Charlie Spedding - From Last to First Murray Halberg - A Clean Pair of Heels Peter Snell - No Bugles, No Drums Bill Rodgers - Marathon Man Bill Squires - Born to Coach Dick Beardsley - Staying the Course & Duel in the Sun Emil Zatopek - Today we Die a Little Gilbert Tuhabonye - The Running man Henry Rono - Olympic Dream (though probably appropriate given his struggles that it was missing the final pages).
And runners who haven't had a book published that I'd love to read. Barry Magee - to complete the original "Arthur's Boys" collection. Unfortunately he is too humble to write one - the closest he got to a book publishing was to have input to Keith Livingstone's 'Healthy Intelligent Training'. John Treacy - Irish record holder who grew up near me. Steve Jones - because he's Steve Jones!! Toshihiko Seko (in English; I believe there are some in Japanese). Tegla Lourope - because the few bits I've read about her seem interesting. Naoko Takahashi - first sub-2:20 female.
I read Fleshman's book and thought it was quite interesting. The divorce news clarified a feeling I was getting from the last part of the book.
I recommend Lorraine Moller's memoir if you can find it.
I believe Lorraine Moller's book is available on Amazon Kindle/library.
For me, existing bios worth reading: Charlie Spedding - From Last to First Murray Halberg - A Clean Pair of Heels Peter Snell - No Bugles, No Drums Bill Rodgers - Marathon Man Bill Squires - Born to Coach Dick Beardsley - Staying the Course & Duel in the Sun Emil Zatopek - Today we Die a Little Gilbert Tuhabonye - The Running man Henry Rono - Olympic Dream (though probably appropriate given his struggles that it was missing the final pages).
And runners who haven't had a book published that I'd love to read. Barry Magee - to complete the original "Arthur's Boys" collection. Unfortunately he is too humble to write one - the closest he got to a book publishing was to have input to Keith Livingstone's 'Healthy Intelligent Training'. John Treacy - Irish record holder who grew up near me. Steve Jones - because he's Steve Jones!! Toshihiko Seko (in English; I believe there are some in Japanese). Tegla Lourope - because the few bits I've read about her seem interesting. Naoko Takahashi - first sub-2:20 female.
Good list. At one point, you were able to get Henry Rono's book signed by him.
Someone above asked about whether Nick Simmonds has a book:
'Life Outside the Oval Office: The Track Less Traveled'. published 2014, Forward by Gags.
I love a good running autobiography or biography (male or female). I was most influenced in high school by The Golden Mile (Herb Elliot), which is super hard to find. Later, when I was no longer connected to a running program but trying to find inspiration to keep running, the Bill Rodgers book from 1982 helped me along. Would love to read a biography on Billy Mills, Paavo Nurmi or Mary Decker Slaney, but I'm not aware of any for those people. I think there was a Decker book when she was very young, but I've never found it. Anyway, love this thread. There have been several books mentioned that I've never heard of.
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