Crawl of Fame: Book Review









Title: Crawl of Fame
Author: Julie Moss/Robert Yehling
Genre: Memoir/Sports/Triathlon

She thought it was the end when she crawled to the finish line at the Kona Ironman race in 1982. She was just 15 feet away from the finish line while Kathleen who was just behind her, overtook her. That crawl sought her fame amidst the triathlon circuit. It was the beginning of Julie's career as a triathlete. Every sportsperson's life comprises of its ups and downs. Julie Moss's was no exception. 

In this honest memoir, Julie describes the inception of her triathlon journey. As a part of her thesis for her College project, Julie decided to take part in the Ironman race. It comprised of 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  Her unlikely lead and crawl made her an icon of endurance sports.

She narrates about her training regimes, her breakups, meeting the legendary Mark Allen(Of Iron war fame), marrying him and doing several races. Julie also addresses her tryst with motherhood, her move from Cardiff to Santa Cruz in California, her painful divorce with Mark, single parenting, losing her mother, smoking, gaining pounds and bouncing back to form. Primarily a surfer, she showcases her love for the ocean going to an extent of coaxing her only son to surf during a Tsunami. She also narrates her experience of hiking the Pacific crest trail after being inspired by the Reese Witherspoon starrer Wild. 

Crawl of fame also depicts Julie's ability to take DNFs (Did not finish) in her stride. As she quotes in the book "we don't always get the fairy tale ending we script." At 58 years, Julie defies age and beats beat her Kona Ironman 1982 timing in 2017. She gives another inspiring quote stating  "No matter how old or young we are, if we can get out off the couch, put one foot forward and keep moving, we can literally change ourselves and our lives." 

Crawl of Fame gives you a virtual tour of several Ironman races, a triathlete's struggle during a race which makes it quite gripping. Especially in the part where she mentions the famous Iron War in 1989. It is a good insight into triathlon as a sport and what it takes to train at the elite level. Overall a fascinating read about a women's terrific journey on a rather bumpy road. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

100 meters : Movie Review

Image
Watched this inspiring Spanish film over the weekend on Netflix!  100 meters is a based on a true story of a man named Ramon who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He is told that he will be able to even walk 100 meters in the next one year. Determined to prove this wrong, he takes up the challenge of doing the grueling Ironman race which involves 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  With the help of his father in law with whom he initially shares a shaky relationship with, he begins to train relentlessly. Ramon faces challenges on the way and is almost pushed to the brink of being bed ridden. He overcomes every hurdle with grit and a positive frame of mind. It remains to be seen if he actually finishes the race.  This movie struck a chord in many ways. A triathlon is not just a race-its a humbling journey which alters your life forever. The training period is especially a challenging one as it demands a lot out of you. The film showcases the importance of f
Read more

The Chennai resistance

Image
-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=3cd78548-4240-47c3-a608-8432df372190 Mentality of a Chennaite is something that never fails to amaze me and other people of different cities. This city has a rich cultural heritage and people indeed try their best to preserve it as much as possible. However in spite of globalization descending upon them, with BPOs lurking at every corner, with the Burgers and pizzas invading their eateries, the typical chennaite will go by his time tested staple food. Times have changed, and Chennai itself is now invaded by population from other cities not only in India but form the world, thanks to the IT boom and the automobile hub centre that it has become. One can see the metamorphosis almost everywhere; old buildings have given way to modern architecture, arterial roads choked to the brim with modern vehicles, individual bungalows replaced by the apartments. Only the age old temples have withstood this onslaught, but they too
Read more

The Call of the Wild : Movie review

Image
I had recently re read The Call of the Wild by Jack London.  Its a journey of a dog named Buck which gets kidnapped and ultimately finds its true calling amidst the wild.  Buck leads a cozy life in sunny California until that day when he is kidnapped. To his dismay, Buck finds himself as a part of a pack of sled dogs. The story traces his change, survival and how he ultimately finds his place as a leader of the pack. Buck is also subjected to harsh treatment-the aspect that makes several readers hate the book especially dog/animal lovers.  The movie is a kinder version of the book. It focuses largely on the rapport between John Thorthon and Buck. John Thorthon played by Harrison Ford posts letters to his dead son and manages to rescue Buck from being beaten to death. He adopts Buck as his own son and ultimately ventures into the Alaskan Wilderness where Buck finds his home.  While some of the critics may have been disappointed with the movie, I personally found it en
Read more