Brock Gibbs' funny autobiographical account of his quest for a podium finish in an Ironman 70.3 World Championships is anything but a how-to guide on becoming a champion. Gibbs hilariously, and touchingly, weaves together stories of his own madman pursuits as he pushes himself to his limits: physically, mentally, and emotionally. In a funny, self-deprecating way, the author describes what goes through his mind as he transforms from neophyte Ironman competitor to a seasoned 10th place finisher at the World Championship level. Gibbs captures the raw beauty of a man who is desperate to understand the tricks, traditions, and training secrets of triathlon. Audiences will laugh with the author, who is a stranger in a strange land, as he is confronted with the ritualistic behaviour of triathlon transition zones and the primordial call of the pre-race bathroom visit. Through the comical retellings of his experiences preparing for and competing in the swim, bike, and run elements of this gruelling endurance sport, Gibbs recounts his struggle to be the best in spite of his own personal suffering. The author is a natural storyteller who uses humour to captivate his audience as he describes the brutally punishing road to becoming a World Champion in his age group, but just when his dream is within reach, Gibbs discovers a basic human truth that risks derailing it all. All triathletes, from novice age-groupers to seasoned professionals, will be able to relate to the situations Gibbs comically recounts and will repeatedly find themselves saying, "Yeah, I've done that".

A New York Times bestselling author takes readers inside the Ironman triathlon. As he did so masterfully in his New York Times bestseller, The Gatekeepers, Jacques Steinberg creates a compelling portrait of people obsessed with reaching a life-defining goal. In this instance, the target is an Ironman triathlon-a 2.4-mile open-water swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride, then finally a 26-mile marathon run, all of which must be completed in no more than seventeen hours. Steinberg focuses not on the professionals who live off the prize money and sponsorships but on a handful of triathletes who regard the sport as a hobby. Vividly capturing the grueling preparation, the suspense of completing each event of the triathlon, and the spectacular feats of human endurance, Steinberg plumbs the physical and emotional toll as well as the psychological payoff on the participants of the Ford Ironman Arizona 2009. His You Are an Ironman is both a riveting sports narrative and a fascinating, behind-the scenes study of what makes these athletes keep going..

Having spent 10 years scaling the lower echelons of the sport, the time has come for one of Britain's least successful athletes to reveal all about how he got involved in all this nonsense in the first place. Marvel as he reveals: His sporting history - how being last pick at school football in the 1970s set him on course for a lifetime of being rubbish at team games. How he took up triathlons in the first place (for a bet, and the cow who made it with him never paid up). How he overcame a crippling lack of talent and a chorus of complete indifference from his family to complete 10 Ironmans, all outside the top 500 finishers. The many triathlon adventures he has experienced over the past 10 years (cow pats, Ironmans, incontinence, driving bans, broken bones, public nudity, spending entire redundancy payments on a new bike, Belgian portaloos, German knocking shops, sunburnt arse cheeks, channel swimming, fights with chavs, obsessions with weather and the nutritional value of Jaffa Cakes, 3 hour marathons, chronic dehydration and so on). The many and varied idiots he's got to know as a result of taking up the sport (aka his mates). The typical training (hell) he goes through to take part in a race given he has absolutely no ability whatsoever. How triathlons ultimately caused him to sell his Mercedes, give away his expensive suit, chuck in his job in the City and become, as his father put it, a "god-damned hippy" (A cycle path designer who owns a camper van).

Sitting watching TV with a cigarette in one hand, a black coffee in the other and nursing a crushing hangover I switched channels until I found sports. There was some sort of bike race on and I half watched while lighting another cigarette off the butt of my last one for a minute before switching channels again. Just as I hit the button on the remote the commentator mentioned something about the athletes swimming before and running afterwards as well as racing the bike. I thought he said something about the run being a marathon but that couldn't be right. This sparked my interest and I switched back, but he was talking about something else so I waited for him to get around to describing exactly what this race was. I didn't have long to wait as he said they first did a 2.5 mile swim, then 112 miles on the bike all topped of with running a marathon. I was stunned. I didn't think that would be physicially possible and as I lit another cigarette I wondered how many days did they have to do it. I guessed it would have to be three days. Swim the first day, bike the second and run the third but it still sounded like a crazy thing to do. Then he said that they did it all in the one day, one after another without stopping. I was completely incredulous. And hooked. I remained glued to the TV and learned that these bronzed, muscular Greek God looking athletes weren't all professionals either. There was an amateur or "age group" race as well Although I could hardly tell the difference between the pros and amateurs. They all looked unbelievably fit. As I sat there mesmerised I swore to myself that I'd race there someday. I'd stop smoking and drinking and somehow do "The Ironman" At the time I had no idea what that meant or how I would do it and after a while as things have a way of doing I got busy with life and I forgot all about The Ironman and Hawaii. I forgot until several years later when I had actually given up smoking and had taken up triathlon. It had taken me two years and sixteen races of swimming breast stroke before I learned to swim properly. I never once looked even remotely like Kona material but I wanted to have a go at doing an Ironman. It took another three years before I plucked up the courage and lined up for my first one in Nice, France. I finished in the last quarter of the field, hours behind the athletes racing for those precious Kona slots. Nothing I had done up to then had given any indication that I should have had a reason to believe I had a chance at qualifying, but three years later when I asked Aisling, my wife if she thought it was possible she immediately said yes and then she added let's do it. Aisling's belief in me started us on a journey that led to me treading water on the most iconic start line in triathlon, waiting for the cannon to fire at the start of the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. This is how we overcame all of the odds and discovered what it would take to get to the Ironman World Championships. This is our Kona story.

Following an horrific accident, Adelaide spent five days in a medically-induced coma. Her boyfriend Kennett proposed to her daily in the hospital, until she regained consciousness.

..".George's books just keep getting better..." ..".laugh out loud funny (note to self, don't read it on the tube)..." ..".it won't fail to entertain, enthral and motivate..." ..".hilarious and heart-warming..." ..".inspiring, poignant and humorous..." ..".I laughed, I cried, and am proud of a man I have never met..." Operation Ironman follows George Mahood's inspiring and entertaining journey from a hospital bed to an Ironman triathlon. After major surgery to remove a spinal cord tumour, George set himself the ultimate challenge - a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run, all to be completed within 16 hours. He couldn't swim more than a length of front crawl, he had never ridden a proper road bike, and he had not run further than 10k in 18 months. He had four months to prepare. Could he do it?

I f youre a tired athlete looking for inspiration, look no further than this collection of short stories written by Alan Pitman. No matter what sport youre passionate about, youll find insights that will help you hone your focus and boost performance. Youll also be entertained by his many adventures. Although hes coached more than three hundred Ironman finishers over twenty five years, Pitman shares that at times, even hes found it hard to train. Thats why he recommends having a training partner, as its easier to let yourself down than one of your friends waiting out in the cold on a dark morning. As you read Pitmans stories, youll be challenged to never settle for anything other than excellence, to set lofty goals, and keep going when you want to give up. Youll also learn how to prevent injuries, take calculated risks, build self-esteem, embrace change, and learn from failure. Get motivated and get moving with 100 Bedtime Stories for Triathletes. I am both pleased and honoured to be able to endorse Allans book. Allan is an amazing athlete. Triathlete, Ironman multiple finisher of forty three races, an Ironman in Australia Legend and finisher of 17 Ironman World Championship races including four podium appearance. As a renowned and hugely respected Ironman Triathlon coach of many years standing his words of wisdom on every page are both profound and inspirational and a must read for all athletes especially Ironman Triathlon aspirants as well as past and continuing competitors. Ken Baggs, OAM