From Last To First

Charlie Spedding was the English record holder for the marathon for 29 years until his time was beaten by Mo Farah. He is a winner of the London Marathon, and the last British athlete, male or female, to win a medal in the Olympic Marathon.

When Charlie first went to school he was almost bottom of the class, and he was even worse at sport. He and his teachers shared a very low opinion of his abilities, but then he found something he was good at. As he devoted himself to it, he gradually improved. After years of dedication he eventually became world class. He literally went from last to first.

This book is about running, because it was running that Charlie was good at, but the story he tells has a message for everybody: find what you are good at, and then become the best you can - at whatever it is.

From Last To First is Charlie's story in Charlie's own words. It is a story full of setbacks and adversity, of determination and commitment, and of love for the sheer joy of running. It is a story to fascinate anyone who enjoys sport.

" I have to declare an interest; as an impartial athletics reporter I'm not supposed to have 'favourites', but I always had a soft spot for Charlie Spedding. To me he epitomised the less than supremely talented runner who by dint of perseverance and character – guts if you like – reached a level that even he could hardly have dreamt of. That degree of excellence is replicated in this outstanding autobiography which stands out for its inspiration, insight, honesty and humour. The chapters on Spedding's two Olympic marathons, in 1984 and 1988, are classics. Never before have I read such vivid accounts of what it is like to be at the sharp end of such races." MEL WATMAN, ATHLETICS INTERNATIONAL
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"This, assuredly, is a really well-considered, well-written and well-produced self-help book, with far more effective insight than that offered by the psychobabble in business management books like Who Moved My Cheese? ....There have been many attempts at fusing psychology with sport, including running, most of them self-indulgent, many of them bogus. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, for instance, has been described as “the most over-rated book since Ulysses”. Spedding’s honest and earnest book is in an altogether different class." STEVEN DOWNES, Sports Journalists Association
​"Charlie offers real insight into what it takes to succeed as a marathon runner and this is one of the best athletics autobiographies you will read." TOM KNIGHT,  Athletics writer
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“From Last To First,” goes well beyond I Trained/I Raced. It has a core lesson from which all serious runners can learn." 
JOE GARLAND, LETS RUN
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"...an inspirational tale brilliantly told...."  INDEPENDENT on SUNDAY
​"Any athlete who wants an extra edge will treasure From Last to First.  But Charlie Spedding's advice goes way beyond the finishing line, to getting the very best out of yourself whatever your talent."
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"Charlie Spedding's book, From Last to First, is part-biography, part a model of how to squeeze the best from any sporting ability you have. But, above all, it is full of common-sense reflections and advice, from someone who has hit many highs, but also incredible lows. On his path to winning an Olympic Marathon medal, he details how by getting the most from your body and mind by "optimal training", you can surpass your own wildest dreams of success."
           JOHN BRYANT,  former Editor in Chief of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph newspaper and author of “The London Marathon – History of the Greatest Race on Earth”, “3:59.4 – The Quest to Break the Four Minute Mile”, “The Marathon Makers” and “Jogging”.