To the Finish Line: A World Champion Triathlete’s Guide to Your Perfect Race
by Chrissie Wellington

I received this hardback book a little while ago for free to review. If you are not familiar with her, Chrissie Wellington is a World Champion triathlete, having won the Ironman World Championship 4 times and winning countless other very large and competitive races worldwide.

I’m not a triathlete nor do I have any intention or desire to become one. But this book has information that could be useful for anyone in the typical swim-bike-run disciplines of the sport. There is a chapter devoted to each one of those areas, so if you’re not interested in swimming… skip it.

But the book goes beyond the fundamentals for the specific sports. There are sections devoted to nutrition, strength and conditioning, psychology, rest/recovery, and race day prep. There’s even a small chapter near the end on pregnancy in the sport.

In addition to the wealth of information, the book is very nicely laid out, with little illustrations and beautiful full-color spreads.

I liked the warm approach to the book, it’s written from a knowledgeable, yet personable angle. There are Q&A sections in each chapter where an “average” person like you and me (unless you’re an elite reading this, you’re not an average person) has a question about something specific and the answer provided usually covers 2 pages, so they’re well-thought answers. The photos in the book are not only of Chrissie in her many victorious finishes, but of many different triathletes. That’s important, if anyone has ever been afraid to approach a race of any kind… just remember if you only watch the Olympics or very high-level competition coverage that is not what you will see at your event. You will see a whole range of people.

There are recipes in the book, playlists, checklists, and in case you weren’t sure of Chrissie’s expertise there is a little chart stuck innocuously in the pages that outlines her impressiveness.

If you get the chance, go ahead and pick it up. The book was just barely released in paperback and there is a Kindle version offered. Or see if your local library has it. (Libraries do still exist and they’re great resources!)

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