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. 

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