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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great. Book itwas a Christmas present for someone so he like it and recommend it to his friends and family.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
While much of the press on Alberto Salazar's incredible new autobiography, "14 Minutes," has been focused on Salazar's much known faith and his brush with death, that spawned the title of the book (spoiler: he was pronounced dead for 14 minutes), I took away a different set of realizations. Those nuggets of information from the man himself were the confirmations of many rumors that had been floated in circles and message boards for years, but were never really confirmed to the public.
Here are a few of those:
1. Salazar had a hand in the hiring of Vin Lananna
While there's no real confirmation that he was against Martin Smith, he did present to the athletic director that Rupp would attend the University of Portland, unless certain things changed. Most importantly, he had Phil Knight's blessing, to the tune of "I guess you'll just have to fix it." He then goes on to state that after this was remedied, that "Galen joined the Ducks fold, and soon Oregon's distance-running tradition was restored." That certainly can not be argued with, as since Rupp came aboard, Oregon won the NCAA Cross Country title twice and has produced stars like Rupp, Andrew Wheating and Matt Centrowitz.
2. Salazar was not happy with Alan Webb's insubordination
As many distance fans recall, Salazar's goal with Webb was to rebuild him from the ground up; a goal that in his mind, would require Webb to "spend an entire year away from world-class competition." As Salazar puts it "Alan grew impatient and wanted to run some major meets. I told him let's hit some singles and doubles before we swing for a home run, but Alan resisted." Salazar's attention to detail is notorious and while it may not work for all, it certainly has produced World class results.
3. Salazar faced much ridicule for his stance on Prozac
In the mid 90's, many recall that Salazar said that Prozac helped him run faster and break through a plateau. People took issue with this, including a competing Adidas Elite team at the 1994 Hood to Coast Relay, who had a sign on one of their vehicles reading "We Don't Run on Prozac." Salazar was happy to help his Nike team to victory and has always stood by his taking of Prozac ("only for a few months") to help battle depression, which ultimately helped him run better, due to his elevated mood.
4. Salazar was the liaison for Michael Johnson and the Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
Being "Charles Barkley's bodyguard" is one of Salazar's favorite jobs, as one of his first duties with Nike after his professional career was tending to Michael Johnson and the Dream Team in Barcelona, the Olympiad in which Johnson faltered (only to return in 1996 to dominate) and Barkley and the boys ripped through the international competition, in the first year where pros would compete for the US team.
5. Salazar won his first of three New York City Marathon titles while still attending the University of Oregon
While many people likely knew this already, this was news to me. It was exciting when Luke Puskedra ran an excellent half at Houston this year, but the idea of an American collegian running a competitive World Class Marathon now seems almost unimaginable.
Much of the information that is discussed in this excellent book is confirmation of Salazar's incredible drive and work ethic, and no question is left unanswered. He discusses his upbringing from elementary school on and talks of the Nike Altitude house, his missteps with Dathan Ritzenhein's form, his coaching of Rupp and the Gouchers and his relationship with Coach Bill Squires and Bill Rodgers. "14 Minutes" is a must for any distance fan. A very quick and informative read form one of the best coaches (and runners) of our time.
Here are a few of those:
1. Salazar had a hand in the hiring of Vin Lananna
While there's no real confirmation that he was against Martin Smith, he did present to the athletic director that Rupp would attend the University of Portland, unless certain things changed. Most importantly, he had Phil Knight's blessing, to the tune of "I guess you'll just have to fix it." He then goes on to state that after this was remedied, that "Galen joined the Ducks fold, and soon Oregon's distance-running tradition was restored." That certainly can not be argued with, as since Rupp came aboard, Oregon won the NCAA Cross Country title twice and has produced stars like Rupp, Andrew Wheating and Matt Centrowitz.
2. Salazar was not happy with Alan Webb's insubordination
As many distance fans recall, Salazar's goal with Webb was to rebuild him from the ground up; a goal that in his mind, would require Webb to "spend an entire year away from world-class competition." As Salazar puts it "Alan grew impatient and wanted to run some major meets. I told him let's hit some singles and doubles before we swing for a home run, but Alan resisted." Salazar's attention to detail is notorious and while it may not work for all, it certainly has produced World class results.
3. Salazar faced much ridicule for his stance on Prozac
In the mid 90's, many recall that Salazar said that Prozac helped him run faster and break through a plateau. People took issue with this, including a competing Adidas Elite team at the 1994 Hood to Coast Relay, who had a sign on one of their vehicles reading "We Don't Run on Prozac." Salazar was happy to help his Nike team to victory and has always stood by his taking of Prozac ("only for a few months") to help battle depression, which ultimately helped him run better, due to his elevated mood.
4. Salazar was the liaison for Michael Johnson and the Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
Being "Charles Barkley's bodyguard" is one of Salazar's favorite jobs, as one of his first duties with Nike after his professional career was tending to Michael Johnson and the Dream Team in Barcelona, the Olympiad in which Johnson faltered (only to return in 1996 to dominate) and Barkley and the boys ripped through the international competition, in the first year where pros would compete for the US team.
5. Salazar won his first of three New York City Marathon titles while still attending the University of Oregon
While many people likely knew this already, this was news to me. It was exciting when Luke Puskedra ran an excellent half at Houston this year, but the idea of an American collegian running a competitive World Class Marathon now seems almost unimaginable.
Much of the information that is discussed in this excellent book is confirmation of Salazar's incredible drive and work ethic, and no question is left unanswered. He discusses his upbringing from elementary school on and talks of the Nike Altitude house, his missteps with Dathan Ritzenhein's form, his coaching of Rupp and the Gouchers and his relationship with Coach Bill Squires and Bill Rodgers. "14 Minutes" is a must for any distance fan. A very quick and informative read form one of the best coaches (and runners) of our time.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars
42 reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fascinating Story From a Great Athlete
4 May 2012
By A. R. Spitzer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Alberto Salazar's biography to date is a well written, honest look back at a career that was far too short and ended much too early because of a debilitating series of events and injuries. In the early 1980's, Salazar was the most dominant marathoner and distance runner of the era, and he has now become one of the foremost distance running coaches in the country. Salazar's description of his early career highlights the fact that he was a distance running prodigy, much like one of the outstanding runners that he currently coaches, Galen Rupp. Salazar's perspective on bringing Rupp along in a manner that avoids the injuries that shortened his career I found especially interesting. If Rupp has success at the upcoming London Olympics, the story will be that much more satisfying on many levels.
If there is one thing missing from the book, though, it is that Salazar's internal experiences as a runner are not elaborated upon very much, and there is little discussion about his own training at the peak of his career. The outstanding years that he spent in college at Oregon seem to be only superficially described. During the period in which Salazar's career was devastated by injuries must have been especially painful, yet one always feels as if a good part of the emotional content here is being held back from the reader. I would also have liked to have read a little more about his own insights about the effort that it takes to set the world marathon record, as well as many of his other accomplishments. One especially interesting aspect of the book was the relationship that Salazar's father had with Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, which shaped not only his father's world, but his father's personality and how that personality may have influenced Alberto's efforts to become the athlete that he was. Overall, this was an entertaining book that made for great reading, though it might have been even a bit more rewarding if Alberto had really let go and shared what had to be some extraordinary emotions during his amazing achievements as a runner and the years after. Lastly, the title of the book refers to the cardiac arrest that Salazar had in 2007. As a physician myself, I find it very difficult to believe that he had complete cardiac standstill with no CPR for 14 minutes, yet he did survive to tell the tale, for which I have no explanation if the facts are indeed accurate. But again, it feels as if Alberto simply took this in stride, almost as if it were another challenge to be dealt with, maintaining a somewhat objective perspective on a highly unusual event.
If there is one thing missing from the book, though, it is that Salazar's internal experiences as a runner are not elaborated upon very much, and there is little discussion about his own training at the peak of his career. The outstanding years that he spent in college at Oregon seem to be only superficially described. During the period in which Salazar's career was devastated by injuries must have been especially painful, yet one always feels as if a good part of the emotional content here is being held back from the reader. I would also have liked to have read a little more about his own insights about the effort that it takes to set the world marathon record, as well as many of his other accomplishments. One especially interesting aspect of the book was the relationship that Salazar's father had with Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, which shaped not only his father's world, but his father's personality and how that personality may have influenced Alberto's efforts to become the athlete that he was. Overall, this was an entertaining book that made for great reading, though it might have been even a bit more rewarding if Alberto had really let go and shared what had to be some extraordinary emotions during his amazing achievements as a runner and the years after. Lastly, the title of the book refers to the cardiac arrest that Salazar had in 2007. As a physician myself, I find it very difficult to believe that he had complete cardiac standstill with no CPR for 14 minutes, yet he did survive to tell the tale, for which I have no explanation if the facts are indeed accurate. But again, it feels as if Alberto simply took this in stride, almost as if it were another challenge to be dealt with, maintaining a somewhat objective perspective on a highly unusual event.
25 of 32 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed after looking forward to this book
24 Jun 2012
By M. Roberts
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
I read an excerpt of this book in a magazine and was really looking forward to it. Alberto Salazar has always been arrogant and cocky but this book just seems to shine a light on his self-glorification. He seems to believe himself a God-appointed or self-appointed deity in himself. The thing that did it for me was him slamming Dick Beardsley. If you are not familiar with the 1982 "Duel in the Sun," they were neck in neck in that race. Alberto had taken the lead and for some reasons there were too many motorcycle cops which closed in around Alberto, blocking off Beardsley. Beardsley did get around the cops and caught up with Alberto. The video is on You Tube, it is really amazing. Alberto won by two seconds. You can debate this all you want and even Alberto admitted that he had underestimated Beardsley. But after that he goes on and on about how he would have won anyway and then goes on further to slam Beardsley saying that the race was Beardsley's peak and that he went back to his dairy farm and suffered great misfortune, several accidents, became addicted to painkillers "and I wrote a check to help him out." Did he really need to put that in there? It sounds as if he just wanted to delineate how superior he is. Really tactless and lacking grace. Listen to Beardsley talk about it and he never once blames the cops, just says that Alberto out-kicked him in the end. But you know what? It took Beardsley a lot longer than two seconds to get around the cops. Anyway, that is just the biggest issue I have with this book. This guy is a complete jerk. Not just the self-assurance of a great athlete that knows he is great but just a jerk. He even puts down Bill Rodgers, the guy that mentored him, and goes on about how superior he is to Bill Rodgers. Wow. I expected a lot more. He also denigrates how just "anyone" can run a marathon these days and puts down basically anyone that runs the marathon that isn't an elite runner. He also slams the Kenyans and Ethiopians, pointing out that they weren't interested in running until races started offering prize money. So insulting! He just hates that they are phenomenally gifted runners apparently. Anyway, I was very disappointed in this book. Don't waste your money. I actually got it from the library, glad I didn't waste my money. Too bad I wasted the time.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very straightforward autobiography
2 May 2012
By Paul
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Just finished reading Alberto's book, and came away inspired and impressed that he would be so open and honest about his background and running career. I thought it was a great read, and felt compelled to get to the finish to take it all in. I also appreciated his personal views on his faith and how it plays a role in his life. You may not agree with him, although I do, but I don't see how you can criticize his honest and straightforward answers to his faith.
As a runner of similar age I'm also in awe of what Alberto accomplished, and continues to accomplish as a coach. Makes me even more a fan of the Nike Oregon Project. I wish them all great success.
As a runner of similar age I'm also in awe of what Alberto accomplished, and continues to accomplish as a coach. Makes me even more a fan of the Nike Oregon Project. I wish them all great success.
›
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