How Triathlon Ruined My Life [Paperback]

I enjoy reading all sorts of books on triathlon -- training, fun stories, etc. - I'm hooked. I took a chance on this book and was disappointed...not only was it poorly written, the story itself is boring and the author is not at all likeable. Don't buy this book -- there are many others that are great reads on the market.

Review: How Triathlon Ruined My Life
Posted by: John Levison
Posted on: Tuesday 29th April 2008

John Levison has had his head in a book again. Here are his thoughts on his latest read...........

Having recently reviewed another real-life triathlon story, I was fortunate to bump into Darren Roberts, author of How Triathlon Ruined My Life at this year's TCR Show. He enthusiastically offered me a copy of his book to review. We've mentioned the book before on the site, but, to date, none of the team had read it. So, how was it?

Now, Darren describes himself as "fat, bald and ugly", and his book as "55,000 words of illiterate drivel", so probably fair to say he doesn't take himself or his literary prowess too seriously! While I'm not going to comment on the former, I can confidently say I didn't find the book drivel at all - it's a cracking read, laugh-out-loud funny at times, which gave rise to a few strange looks as I chuckled to myself on the Tube going to work.

The book is a story; no, it's Darren's story, of going from scratch, to finishing an Ironman in six months, with all the impacts that has on home, work, life and family. This wasn't the initial plan, which involved a more pragmatic/balanced approach to building up to an Ironman event over 18 months. However, as is often the case, life events, in this case the birth of a child and the death of a young colleague, changed that plan and Ironman became "something I had to do, not talk about". So plans for a half-Ironman in 2006, then a full Ironman in 2007 became "just do the full Charlie and stop messing about! So I did".

Fair to say that Darren didn't arrive in triathlon from a couch potato background, having spent nine years in the forces; the Parachute Squadron of the RAF Regiment, no less. He also works in the sports industry in strength and conditioning with Red Bull, Reading Football Club and a number of professional athletes such as Paul Casey and Lee McConnell. All that said 100kgs of muscle, the ability to bench press small houses combined with an aerobic exercise regime of "breathing in and out" possibly wasn't the best start point for a potential Ironman.

What I like about the book is its honesty - it's 100% Darren. I met him for barely two minutes, but imagine that I've got a pretty good insight into him as a person simply by reading his book. Nothing feels contrived, or put in because it will read well. It's just the good, the bad and the ugly of preparing to spend the best part of 13 hours swimming, biking and running to get that Ironman finish. It's also very observant - his description of the typical pre-race portaloo is a classic, as are the characterisations of typical triathlete stereotypes: 'alpha-male', 'swim nemesis' and 'other triathlete'...

So, from me it's a clear recommendation. If you are a triathlon fan, and like the sound of an honest, easy reading and funny book, this is for you.

Any profits from the sale of the book are donated to the Chris Jones Riders Fund, Chris was a 14-year old motor bike racer who died in a racing accident in 2005, whom Darren worked with as part of the Red Bull team. The fund was set up in Chris' memory to raise money within the motorcycle industry to provide vital medical equipment to help the future of British Racing. Chris' death was one of the primary inspirations for Darren to do the Ironman.

I bought this book on a lark and it was well worth the money. Great story of someone who decided to jump into triathlon by signing up for an Ironman. I found myself rolling with laughter and other times saying, "yep, I did that too." Too few triathlon books out there, but this is a great one for anyone who is interested in the sport. Great read for new triathletes and grizzled veterans.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 5 reviews  3.8 out of 5 stars