Читать книгу Running Crazy - Imagine Running a Marathon. Now Imagine Running Over 100 of Them. Incredible True Stories from the World's Most Fanatical Runners - Helen Summer - Страница 7
ОглавлениеWhen I was first approached to write a book about people who had run over 100 marathons, never having run one marathon myself, never mind 100, I wasn’t convinced I was qualified. However, once it was pointed out to me that I had been involved in running for over 40 years (I started very young), that as a UK Athletics Level 3 endurance coach who had coached marathon runners of varying ages and abilities, and through my work with Running Crazy Limited (www.runningcrazy.co.uk) who arrange running trips abroad, I was constantly in the company of marathon runners, I realised maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t totally unqualified. Plus, never having run one meant I could take an objective view of matters, and never having run 100, I wouldn’t be blinded by my own obsession or my insanity, which, let’s face it, if we’re honest most of us would consider a prerequisite of anyone who has run a minimum of 100 marathons.
But what if we’re wrong? What if, instead of being crazy they are just passionate? Perhaps instead of being obsessive they are just committed? And what if I told you that having met some of them, I can honestly say a nicer, friendlier, happier and more positive bunch of people you’d be hard pushed to find anywhere? So much so that in the end I forgot to feel unqualified and simply felt privileged to enter a world where people genuinely care as much about their fellow man’s performance as they do their own, where they celebrate with total generosity of spirit one another’s achievements, as well as sharing in their disappointments, comparing aches and pains and recounting the sheer bloody hard work that is actually a prerequisite of every marathon, whether it’s your first or your 100th.
Okay, so maybe there is a hint of madness but where would be the fun in this book, both for me as the writer and you as reader, if there wasn’t?
Of course while this book is predominantly about the people, it is also about the extraordinary, sometimes bizarre races they have run in, the places they have been to and the discoveries they have made, not only of themselves but also the world at large. It is also about the way running reflects life, testing, challenging and ultimately teaching us how to deal with both the good and the bad with grace and dignity.
And so, without further ado I urge you to follow me and meet the characters who make up the 100 Marathon Club, discover the uniqueness of the Addis Ababa Marathon, the perils of appearing at Trafalgar Square dressed as a polar bear and the horror in finding yourself mistakenly on the elite starting line of the London Marathon dressed in a bin liner and carrying a plastic cup of tea! Discover too what it’s like to face the challenge of a marathon (or over 100 of them) when you are blind or in a wheelchair.
Share the laughter and tears, the pain and the glory, while reaping the benefit of words of wit and wisdom from those who have a wealth of knowledge and experience of marathon running – some stuff you can’t learn from a textbook!
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
The total number of marathons run by each athlete was correct at the time of writing; however, due to the very nature of the sport, all numbers will have increased by the time this book goes to print.
