It’s hard not to love inspirational sports books or stories. After all, many of the most popular movies of all time involve inspirational sports stories. Sweeping music, team camaraderie, overcoming all odds to win a championship the athletes were not expected to win, it all makes for a pretty moving (if not sometimes cliché) story.
Inspirational sports books rarely reach the same level of popularity as their movie counterparts. However, there are still many great ones to choose from. Personally, I love a good book involving an athlete overcoming all odds to achieve something great. Not only are these books enjoyable in their own right, they often give me a big motivation boost for my own athletic journey. In fact, in my article about how to rediscover your workout motivation, one of my biggest tips is reading or watching inspirational sports stories.
On top of that, while movies rarely involve much instruction on the sport they’re portraying, nonfiction sports books often do include tips and guidance on how to improve your own training. Given that, they can help revitalize your workout routine both from a mental and a practical standpoint.
Below are my favorite inspirational sports books (and a couple of popular sports books I do not like, because sometimes that’s even more fun to hear about.) They lean heavily towards books by runners, hikers, mountaineers, and climbers, but are inspirational for anyone regardless of the sport you participate in.
1. Happy Runner by David and Megan Roche
If you’ve read almost any of my other posts on running, you’ve probably seen me mention this book. There’s a reason I can’t shut up about it and it authors. David and Megan Roche are elite runners, running coaches, and, for Megan, both a medical doctor and a PhD (so impressive!)
Happy Runner includes practical training advice in the second half, which is invaluable for any runner. However, the first half is the moving story of how they each discovered running, met and fell in love, and built their passion for running in the face of numerous obstacles. Throughout the book, they discuss both the mental aspect of running, including how to mentally deal with the inevitable runner injuries and with self-doubt and competition. They also cover research on the physical impact of running. Their writing is filled with compassion, humor, and incredible insight and it never fails to get me inspired to run when I’m in a slump.
2. The Impossible First by Colin O’Brady
This book is about Colin O’Brady’s race to become the first person to cross Antarctica completely unsupported. This means he dragged a sled with thousands of pounds of food and supplies on his own for 52 days. At the exact same time, another man attempted the same thing, with both attempting to outrace the other. Colin confronts isolation, physical hardship, self-doubt, and his history of debilitating injuries.
The Impossible First is enthralling, well-written, and will almost definitely inspire you to go out and do hard things (or at least be very grateful for fresh food, a regular bed, and people to talk to).
3. In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado
Being a woman in the world of mountaineering can be rough. Key mountaineering supplies (like mountaineering boots!) are rarely made in small sizes, the community is predominantly male, and women are chastised for taking the same risks that men are lauded for. Being a woman of color in the mountaineering world is even harder and more isolating, given that the sport is very White.
Silvia Vasquez-Lavado shatters expectations and overcomes hardship and self-doubt, culminating in a summit attempt on Mt. Everest. This, on its own, would be extremely impressive. However, Silvia’s childhood was fraught with abuse and secrecy. She grapples with this history as she builds her confidence in her career and the world of outdoor adventure.
It’s an inspiring and uplifting story with a unique voice. And it is a much-needed addition to the mountaineering literature that is predominantly written by White males.
4. Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World by Danielle Friedman
This book isn’t a memoir, it’s a nonfiction book about the way women transformed the world of physical fitness. It is a history that often goes unrecognized and unappreciated, particularly given that men tend to be associated with sports and fitness more than women. Indeed, until the 60s, medical professionals counseled that women’s uteruses might fall out if they exercised too hard… That sounds like a joke, but it isn’t. However, female fitness pioneers challenged this narrative and popularized yoga, barre, and jogging in the U.S.
You will be fascinated by the range of stories covered in this book and will have new appreciation for the long history that led to women’s participation in fitness becoming normalized. A caveat to this is that the book tends to focus on White women and so the level of diversity in this one is sadly limited.
5. Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Boys in the Boat seems like it should be fiction. It brings together all of the makings of an inspirational team story and involves a faceoff against Hitler (or rather the team he supported). If that’s not a one-two punch for inspiration, I don’t know what it is.
Boys in the Boat follows the University of Washington rowing team as they pursue their dreams of Olympic medals in the 1936 Olympics in Germany. Amongst their competitors were the highly-favored German team. Hitler pitched the team as the epitome of Aryan strength and virtue, a test case for his White supremacist ideology. The UW team, in contrast, was comprised of larger low-income and working-class men.
While it may not be hard to guess the ending, this book is still about as thrilling and inspiring as it gets.
6. My Old Man and the Mountain: A Memoir; by Leif Whittaker
To be totally honest, I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. Leif Whittaker is the son of the first person from the U.S. to summit Mt. Everest and the co-owner of the renowned mountaineering company Whittaker Mountaineering. So you might be thinking what I initially thought, a White guy from an illustrious mountaineering family who attempts a summit of Mt. Everest? Privilege much? How is that inspiring?
But I was very wrong. This is one of the most well-written (and not ghost written!) mountaineering stories I’ve ever read. Leif reflects on the pressure he experienced to climb Mt. Everest and his difficulty forging his own path in the shadow of both his father and the mountain that made him famous. It’s a classic story of identity and coming-of-age, with the beautiful backdrop of Mt. Everest that will have you just about salivating to visit base camp (though maybe not to climb the actual mountain).
7. The Push: A Climber’s Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits by Tommy Caldwell
Prior to Alex Honnold coming on the scene, Tommy Caldwell was just about the most famous rock climber out there. Yet, he is also humble, gracious, and thoughtful about his rock climbing and mountaineering accomplishments. The Push starts with Tommy’s childhood and entre into rock climbing. It then covers his ascendence into rock climbing royalty as a teenager and his harrowing abduction during a climbing trip in Kyrgyzstan. The remainder of the book discusses the mental health struggles that resulted from that experience, his rediscovery of his love of climbing, and the relationships forged and broken along the way (and that’s not even covering everything).
You will fall in love with Tommy as a person and have new appreciation for the diligence and work that goes into becoming a renowned rock climber. If you’re anything like me, it’ll also have you salivating to get outside adventuring.
8. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
Most of the authors of the books on this list are about as fit and chiseled as could be. Their stories are also often serious and emotional. A Walk in the Woods stands in hilarious and relatable contrast. In this book, Bill and his friend Stephen decide to hike the Appalachian trail. They are both middle-aged and while Bill has trained for this experience, he discovers, to his horror, that his friend can barely climb a flight of stairs right before they head out on their journey.
A Walk in the Woods is a unique blend of memoir and the history of the Appalachian trail. It’s also gut-bustingly hilarious. I’ve laughed out loud more times reading this book than almost any other. Bill and Steve’s persistence and fortitude are also inspiring and considerably more relatable than the fitness demi-gods that generally author these kinds of books. I’ve re-read this book 3-4 times and I’m guessing you’ll want to as well.
9. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
I mean, this is a classic. The movie also does not do it justice. So if you’ve only seen the movie, you’ve gotten a fraction of the inspiration from this story. If you’re unfamiliar with the premise, Cheryl Strayed decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail after a series of devastating tragedies. However, she finds herself unprepared initially for the realities of the second longest hike in the U.S. (at 2,654 miles).
With incredible inner strength, she confronts these challenges and her inner demons, growing immensely as a person. Not to mention, she describes the scenery of the PCT with vivid detail. While you may not be able to quit your job and take 5 months to hike the PCT, it’ll at least have you living vicariously through her and very possibly feeling inspired to plan your own adventure.
Books I Think Are Overrated
1. Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself by Rich Roll
I have feelings about this book. Keep in mind that this is just my personal opinion. You may read the book and love it and, if so, that’s awesome.
In this book, Rich Roll discusses how he transformed his diet and fitness routine to become a super strong athlete. The problem is, he falls into a classical logical fallacy (and sleazy salesperson technique) that what worked for him, will work for everyone.
This was the first book where I wrote a scathing review on Goodreads. I’ll excerpt parts of it here. “This book was so sanctimonious I couldn’t even finish it. He sells his “Plantpower” diet with all the fervor of a snake oil salesman and with seemingly no credentials. He irresponsibly doesn’t mention that you should seek a doctor’s advice before starting any diet change (let alone a cleanse!) and he never acknowledges that different people might have different dietary and health needs or experiences.
Instead, he takes his personal experience as dogma, making dramatic claims like if you don’t try my plant-based diet for 30 days and experience dramatic changes, ‘I’ll happily wish you well as you return to your disease provoking, animal protein-based style of eating’ (p. 109).”
2. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Chris McDougall
This book is incredibly popular and I have to admit, it’s well-written and interesting. It’s also (in my opinion) overblown. The author selectively picks and chooses studies to support this idea that we should all be wearing minimalist shoes and emulating the tribe of Tarahumaran athletes he profiles in this book. However, the reality is far more complex. If you read this book, make sure to check out Running Myth 3 in my article on popular running myths before throwing out your supportive running shoes.
Are there other books you’d love to see on this list? Let me know in the comments. And if you enjoyed this article, please consider liking, subscribing, or sharing with others, it’s always super appreciated!