You're swimming a kilometre offshore. Without warning, your heart-rate shoots up to 320 beats a minute. What do you do? Call for help and try to get to hospital urgently? Not if you're Greg Welch. He was officially the fittest man in the world, unbackable favourite for Olympic gold. Adrenaline was his best friend. Greg Welch would rather die than give in. He almost did. The pint-size Aussie larrikin they call Plucky became world champion in five sports: surf, duathlon, Olympic distance tri...

A damning portrayal of the neglect of Australia’s modern war veterans from celebrated military historian Patrick Lindsay.Forty-one Australian soldiers died in action over 20 years of fighting in Afghanistan; in that time more than 1400 veterans have taken their own lives. Veterans today are chronically over-represented when it comes to PTSD, depression, homelessness and suicide. Australians rightfully pause on Anzac Day each year to solemnly remember fallen soldiers, but are we forg...

While flicking through some photographs of a holiday in the Caribbean in 2009 Craig Jordan was appalled by what he saw, an overweight out of shape middle aged man on a very slippery slope. Craig decided there and then on a campaign to get Fit for Fifty and this became his mantra but the question was which sport? Over the next few months he was a regular visitor in the gym and went out and bought a mountain bike but nothing seemed to inspire and getting the journey to get fit seemed destine...

An incredible but true account of achieving one of the most awe-inspiring midlife physical transformations everOn the night before he was to turn forty, Rich Roll experienced a chilling glimpse of his future. Nearly fifty pounds overweight and unable to climb the stairs without stopping, he could see where his current sedentary life was taking him—and he woke up.Plunging into a new routine that prioritized a plant-based lifestyle and daily training, Rich mo...

In "Chasing the Runner's High", Ray Charbonneau tells the story how he pushed his addiction to running up to, and then past, his limits. There are plenty of hard miles, but there's lots of fun along the way too as Ray shares what he learned, what he should have learned, and what he still has to learn from running.Marshall Ulrich, 4-time winner of the Badwater Ultramarathon and author of "Running on Empty", calls Chasing the Runner's High "a look at one man's life and obsession with...

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom one of the finest ultrarunners in the world, profiled in the international bestseller Born to Run*,* comes an inspirational memoir. Ideal for runners, athletes, as well as anyone interested in the transformative power of endurance sports.'Run until you can't run anymore. Then run some more. Find a new source of energy and will. Then run even fast...

In The Well-Built Triathlete, elite triathlon coach Matt Dixon reveals the approach he has used to turn age-group triathletes into elite professionals and champions.Dixon's method breaks new ground in triathlon training, introducing a new, comprehensive approach that builds the whole athlete for stronger performance. Dixon details the four pillars of performance that form the foundation of his highly successful purplepatch fitness program, showing triathletes of a...

The Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (known as FIRST) is dedicated to make running more accessible and limit overtraining and burnout while producing faster race times. FIRST is one of the foremost experts in the world on the science of running; its authority is unmatched and the promise of training less and accomplishing more has made the first two editions of Run Less, Run Faster a solid and steady seller.With 50 percent updated content, this new editi...

WINNER OF THE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARD FOR NEW WRITER OF THE YEAR'Lyrical and passionate ... a celebration of the human spirit and what it can achieve' ObserverTwo hours to cover twenty-six miles and 385 yards. An exceptional feat of speed, mental strength and endurance. The sub-two-hour marathon is running's Everest, a feat once seen as impossible for the human body. But now we have reached the mountaintop....

The Marathon des Sables is billed as the toughest footrace on Earth. It consists of around 150 miles of running across scorching desert plains and peaks, in temperatures soaring above 40 degrees C. As if the distance, the heat and the terrain were not enough, the whole race must be completed carrying all the food and kit required for the seven days of the event. The Marathon des Sables is an incredible event. The single biggest piece of advice that I received during my preparatio...

In I'M HERE TO WIN, Chris "Macca" McCormack opens his playbook and reveals everything it takes-mind, body, and spirit-to become a champion. Now he shares the story of his triumphs and the never-say-die dedication that has made him the world's most successful triathlete.In 2010, at the age of 37, Macca beat the odds and won the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii for a second time in what many called the most dramatic finish in the race's history. Macca's journey to athl...

At his brother's wedding in 2002, 30-year-old Josh Kench sat with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other, and announced that he was going to do the Coast to Coast. His pronouncement was met with derision, but he's proved his doubters wrong.Josh won the 2010 Lake Taupo Extreme Enduro, covering a mind-numbing eight laps of the 160-kilometre course in 55 hours. And that's only the start of it. In June 2011, this 39-year-old plumber lined up at the start of the Race Across Ame...