Tough as Leather - The Story of Sporting Legend John Lenihan

Posted by Conor O'Neill on Monday, September 19, 2016

Finally a book review on the blog. I’m not sure where I heard about this book, probably Twitter, but damn it’s a great story. I’d never heard of John Lenihan until 3 weeks ago. Then I read this Irish Times article and my jaw was on the floor. He has not only won the Carrauntoohil mountain race 19 times, he still holds the record of 1 hour 11 minutes and 43 seconds. Read that again. Up and down the highest mountain in Ireland in 1:11:43. Holy shit the man is a running machine.

Tough as Leather

His story is genuinely interesting and he comes across as a honourable talented hard-working man who will probably never get the adulation he deserves. The writing itself is very pedestrian but that’s ok, the story is strong enough to carry it. A recommended read if you have any interest in running, striving or making hard choices. You can buy it on Book Depository.


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