Paul Tergat: Running to the Limit by Jurg Wirz

This book about Paul Tergat by German journalist Jurg Wirz, subtitled "His Life and His Training Secrets With Many Tips For Runners" is a very brief profile of Paul Tergat. It is as much a profile of Tergat as it is a running guide for serious as well as beginner runners.

It is barely hagiographic and is almost like a series of magazine articles, rather than a book. Tergat's early life as well as most of his big contests are described in brief detail. It is difficult to say what could be more detailed but there is hardly any detail on Tergat's upbinging or his family. There is not much discussion of the mental part of the preparation of Paul for his many races with Haile. There is very little on Kenyan running as a general tradition or description of Kenya in the 70s and 80s as Paul grew up.

The "running school" part of the book is precise and excellent but the reader is left hungry for more. The book also has a collection of pictures from Paul's life, previously unpublished. Worth a read if you are a fan of Tergat or an aspiring runner, but not much of a classy biography for reasons outlined above. Since I am a fan of Tergat and since this is my first book about him, I am obviously very happy to have read it.

I can say that the book completely lives up to its subtitle