My Life in Athletics

I have always been a big fan of Mel Watman, I still have cuttings from AW about Ron Clarke that were written by MW, but I was a bit disappointed in certain aspects. I don't think that he should've harped on about his gambling (I always look for role models like Ron Clarke), and to extend it to athletics goes beyond the pale. He touches on so many fine performances, but as is to be expected, he missed out on others. As befits a perfectionist, there are but a few typos in this book. Sadly he appears to be relying on diaries, editorials, etc to put together his autobiography, a bit like Bill Tancred appears to do in his, and which Don Ritchie definitely does in his autobiography. But all in all, if you're into athletics, then it becomes a 'must'.

Excellent autobiography that brings back many memories of past athletic perfomances and written description of how they achieved such. It also reveals his time at Athletics Weekly (the best athletic magazine and for upto date athletic news of the time), plus his part in subsequent athletic news such as Athletics Today and his work with performance statistics. Altogether a very worthwhile read and a valuable addition to any sports library.

To read more about the person

Very interesting to read about the author's life as well as his passion for athletics which started as a young boy. This is also a personalised history of UK and world athletics from the 1950's to 2017. You will not be disappointed especially if you have an interest in athletics.