The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie Story

by Jim Denison and Mary Louise Kelly

Book Overview

Two Olympic 10,000m golds; eight world championships indoors and outdoors; seventeen world records over four different distances; a fifty-four race winning streak--Haile Gebrselassie utterly dominated... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1891369482
• ISBN13: 9781891369483
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Breakaway Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Not just for runners

Denison takes you on a journey into the life of a fine athlete and sportsman. Keep in mind that this book should not be sought after by just the runners or athletes of the world but by anyone looking to discover the life of a man who is exemplary in many aspects. From Haile's determination to overcome, his generosity, his outlook on humanity to his grit and perseverance you will discover a man who is unforgettable. To me, this was not just a story of one of the greatest distance runners of all time but a story of a living legend whose perception of the world and those around him is alone worthy to hold the banner of 'The Greatest'. It is clear that the author (Denison) was passionate about sport yet recognizably passionate about what sport can do for community, country and humanity. I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it highly!

Great Reflection

This book is great tribute to Haile Gebreselassie. I thought that this book was well pieced together and it gives a good introduction to who he is and what he stands for. It would be nice if Haile could have been the author himself. Honestly, this book inspired me through a summer of great training and once you start reading you don't want to put the book down.

The Greatest

Excellent story of a successfull runner from an under privilage country. The story of his rising to fame is heart warming and all youngsters in the USA should read it to understand how young people in other countries must often battle great odds to be able to climb out of their invironments and meet success in spite of and not because of. Very interesting story.

Good but not "the Greatest"

I enjoyed this book but did not find it to be a compelling read. I found the writing somewhat choppy as if Mr. Dennison had strung together a number of individual pieces. Gebrselassie can certainly take his place among the greatest runners of all time and this book is a fine tribute.

Excellent Running Book

As a runner, I love a good running book. The Greatest - the biography of Haile Gebrselassie - a man who dominated distance running for a decade - was extremely inspiring. It balanced the racing with the personal story of Haile, along with a great overview of the Ethiopian running scene and the opportunities and challenges facing the country. In addition to being a champion athlete, Haile has become a very successful Ethiopian businessman and the vignettes about his businesses, why he does them (when he clearly doesn't have to), and how he is focused on continuing to help Ethiopia evolve as a country was powerful. Heroic running, riveting race stories, good Ethiopian history, the passing of the torch of a champion to the next generation, and a guy that everyone would like - what more could you want from a running biography?