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Touching Distance
Double Olympic gold-medal winner, James Cracknell. His story before and after his life-changing accident.
In October 2011 James Cracknell, two-time Olympic gold-medal rower and one of the greatest endurance athletes the world has ever known, suffered a seizure at home as his young son looked on in horror. A man who had known no limits, a man who had practically achieved the impossible, was now struggling to master life's simple challenges.
A year earlier, as James undertook yet another endurance challenge in Arizona, he was knocked off his bike by the wing mirror of a petrol tanker. It had smashed into the back of his head at high speed, causing severe frontal lobe damage. The doctors weren't sure if he would recover and, if he did, whether he would ever be the same again.
Touching Distance is an extraordinary, honest and powerful account as James and his wife Bev confront for the first time the lasting effects that the accident has had on their lives. It is the story of a marriage, of a family and of one man's fight back to be the best husband and father he can be.
In October 2011 James Cracknell, two-time Olympic gold-medal rower and one of the greatest endurance athletes the world has ever known, suffered a seizure at home as his young son looked on in horror. A man who had known no limits, a man who had practically achieved the impossible, was now struggling to master life's simple challenges.
A year earlier, as James undertook yet another endurance challenge in Arizona, he was knocked off his bike by the wing mirror of a petrol tanker. It had smashed into the back of his head at high speed, causing severe frontal lobe damage. The doctors weren't sure if he would recover and, if he did, whether he would ever be the same again.
Touching Distance is an extraordinary, honest and powerful account as James and his wife Bev confront for the first time the lasting effects that the accident has had on their lives. It is the story of a marriage, of a family and of one man's fight back to be the best husband and father he can be.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2012
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178 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 25, 2013
I am not necessarily a sporty person, but I have watched most of James' documentaries and enjoyed them. I remember his accident and I have read a few newspaper articles about it, some written by his wife.
The first half of this book is the story of James' early life, school, first teaching job (funny ancedote about what he would do at the back of the class!), first relationship and how he got into rowing. I did find this section interesting and it gives an insight into how determined James is and how competitive. He talks of how he was a shy person. I must admit seeing him interviewed etc, I never got this impression of him!
James met his wife Beverley Turner in 2000 and they married in 2002. They seemed very well matched. The story of their honeymoon is very amusing! Reading about James training schedule, I take my hat off to Beverley for being a very understanding wife, especially after the birth of their first child. It definitely doesn't sound easy to be married to an Olympian. After his second Olympic Gold Medal, James decided to retire from rowing and found his niche in endurance sports which culminated in his tragic accident.
The second half of the book deals with how James and most of all his wife and family learn to cope with the brain injury that changed all their lives. It is not all doom and gloom, there are some amusing moments especially after James comes out of his induced coma and begins talking with a very laa-di-dah British accent!
At the time of his accident they had two children but also Beverley had just discovered she was pregnant with their third child. This woman seems amazing to me. She has definitely gone through a lot and although all sympathy must lie with James, it is fair to say his wife and family deserve as much if not more sympathy.
When this book was about to be released I read a serialisation in a newspaper. Of course they decided to sensationalise one aspect of the book which is when an angry James tried to strangle his wife. I have since read that they both wrote their stories separately and did not read them until the final stages and Beverley told James they could take out that part if he wanted, but he wanted it left in to show how brain injury completely changes people and to help other families going through something similar. I like this line from Beverley 'Please forgive James the worst moments of this book'.
Another sad aspect of the 'new James' was his irritability towards his Son, Croyde. That can't have been easy for his son or Beverley as a mother. This acknowledgement from James to his son brought a tear to my eye 'Croyde - more than anyone you've suffered with me being different since the accident. I'll keep trying to make sure the shouty man is replaced by the man that tells funny jokes and dances like John Travolta'!
When I see James on TV, he just seems the same as before his accident but there are lots we don't see. He suffers seizures, therefore he can't drive, he has lost all sense of taste and smell, he mustn't overtire himself and has a different temperament to the old James.
This couple have been through a lot together. Beverley seems like a very strong person. During all this she has given birth to another child, had to care for three children, plus James and maintain her career. Beverley is told the statistic that after a brain injury, 75% of couples divorce. Although it is more than obvious reading between the lines that their marriage has suffered a great deal and is not what it was, it is also evident that they are both working at the marriage and James continued recovery. I hope their marriage stays intact.
These words written by Beverley also brought a tear to my eye - 'The word 'bravery' is often used to describe James crossing ice fields or rowing oceans. That isn't brave. Brave is allowing his story to be told so fully and so openly so that he may help other people in his situation. Brave is refusing to be defeated by the brain injury. That's the man I love - it's an honour to share such a life'.
This book and this couple are very inspirational. I wish them both nothing but happiness. It's an excellent read and I can't recommend it enough.
The first half of this book is the story of James' early life, school, first teaching job (funny ancedote about what he would do at the back of the class!), first relationship and how he got into rowing. I did find this section interesting and it gives an insight into how determined James is and how competitive. He talks of how he was a shy person. I must admit seeing him interviewed etc, I never got this impression of him!
James met his wife Beverley Turner in 2000 and they married in 2002. They seemed very well matched. The story of their honeymoon is very amusing! Reading about James training schedule, I take my hat off to Beverley for being a very understanding wife, especially after the birth of their first child. It definitely doesn't sound easy to be married to an Olympian. After his second Olympic Gold Medal, James decided to retire from rowing and found his niche in endurance sports which culminated in his tragic accident.
The second half of the book deals with how James and most of all his wife and family learn to cope with the brain injury that changed all their lives. It is not all doom and gloom, there are some amusing moments especially after James comes out of his induced coma and begins talking with a very laa-di-dah British accent!
At the time of his accident they had two children but also Beverley had just discovered she was pregnant with their third child. This woman seems amazing to me. She has definitely gone through a lot and although all sympathy must lie with James, it is fair to say his wife and family deserve as much if not more sympathy.
When this book was about to be released I read a serialisation in a newspaper. Of course they decided to sensationalise one aspect of the book which is when an angry James tried to strangle his wife. I have since read that they both wrote their stories separately and did not read them until the final stages and Beverley told James they could take out that part if he wanted, but he wanted it left in to show how brain injury completely changes people and to help other families going through something similar. I like this line from Beverley 'Please forgive James the worst moments of this book'.
Another sad aspect of the 'new James' was his irritability towards his Son, Croyde. That can't have been easy for his son or Beverley as a mother. This acknowledgement from James to his son brought a tear to my eye 'Croyde - more than anyone you've suffered with me being different since the accident. I'll keep trying to make sure the shouty man is replaced by the man that tells funny jokes and dances like John Travolta'!
When I see James on TV, he just seems the same as before his accident but there are lots we don't see. He suffers seizures, therefore he can't drive, he has lost all sense of taste and smell, he mustn't overtire himself and has a different temperament to the old James.
This couple have been through a lot together. Beverley seems like a very strong person. During all this she has given birth to another child, had to care for three children, plus James and maintain her career. Beverley is told the statistic that after a brain injury, 75% of couples divorce. Although it is more than obvious reading between the lines that their marriage has suffered a great deal and is not what it was, it is also evident that they are both working at the marriage and James continued recovery. I hope their marriage stays intact.
These words written by Beverley also brought a tear to my eye - 'The word 'bravery' is often used to describe James crossing ice fields or rowing oceans. That isn't brave. Brave is allowing his story to be told so fully and so openly so that he may help other people in his situation. Brave is refusing to be defeated by the brain injury. That's the man I love - it's an honour to share such a life'.
This book and this couple are very inspirational. I wish them both nothing but happiness. It's an excellent read and I can't recommend it enough.
February 5, 2015
Reading this book was always going to have a special meaning to me, as my wife had a stroke about two years ago. Like James and Bev, my wife and I are writing a book together about our experience. We honestly came up with the same chapter layout as them -- alternative narrations.
In these types of post-tragedy biographies, there are introductory chapters of the characters' backgrounds. A get-to-know-you before the injury sequence. This is fine, but in Touching Distance, the full first half of the book is a repetitive account of Cracknell's numerous athletic achievements. He is a very competitive individual; I get it.
At the moment of his near fatal injury, the engagement with the reader much improves, perhaps because both Bev and James are describing their separate perspectives of the events unfolding before them.
I write as a carer for a stroke survivor, so I have an empathy with Bev's words. But I can attest that my wife would sympathise with James's.
Bev describes learning the new vocabulary of brain injury as "taking bullets" that she would have to carry for the rest of her life. This is true.
And this unwelcomed circumstance reflects the wider dimension of changed lives. At times Bev tells James, "You're not the man I married" and "I still miss James." James has told the world, "I'm no longer James Cracknell." His description of how the injury has affected his outlook is very honest and in my opinion, the most compelling part of his story.
Both mention how it's the invisible dimension of brain injury that is more difficult to deal with. This is true, too.
Case in point was James's description of neuropsychologist and psychiatrist tests:
"They only knew me as a patient post-accident but not the person I was or what I was capable of before the accident. So how could they impose these ceilings on my recovery based on results from generalised tests?"
We have the same complaint. In fact, neither of us were ever asked about our personalities or habits pre-injury. I still don't understand scientifically how anyone could make predictions without examining what made a person tick before an injury.
James also recalled a qualified compliment he received after giving television commentary: "That was really good," he was told, "especially for someone with a brain injury." Like anyone with a disability, James said that he wants to be judged as a person, not someone with a brain injury.
With me present, a specialist once told my wife that before speaking she could tell strangers that she has had a stroke (to explain why her voice isn't as clear). I counter-suggested that she should not, to reduce the likelihood of her being patronised. Unlike James, my wife is not famous, so it has been easier for her to present herself as herself, and not someone with a brain injury.
Both James and Bev are told that the majority of marriages fail when one has had a brain injury. It is easy to see why. Bev describes how the dynamics of a marriage of mutuality changes to one of physical and mental dependency. It's not easy to deal with, I know. And James acknowledges this, in describing his marriage now as more of a business partnership. Both want their relationship to move back towards the centre.
Bev tells of the experience of a new friend whose marriage came undone three years after her husband's accident. Bev asked what was the final straw? "His lack of confidence. It killed me. I couldn't live with it." Bev said that she knew what she meant.
Thankfully, my wife still has confidence: "If we've survived this, we can survive anything ... it's the ultimate challenge."
So although Touching Distance isn't the best written prose, like dealing with an unwanted challenge, it is worth persisting with to reach a positive conclusion and hope for a better future.
In these types of post-tragedy biographies, there are introductory chapters of the characters' backgrounds. A get-to-know-you before the injury sequence. This is fine, but in Touching Distance, the full first half of the book is a repetitive account of Cracknell's numerous athletic achievements. He is a very competitive individual; I get it.
At the moment of his near fatal injury, the engagement with the reader much improves, perhaps because both Bev and James are describing their separate perspectives of the events unfolding before them.
I write as a carer for a stroke survivor, so I have an empathy with Bev's words. But I can attest that my wife would sympathise with James's.
Bev describes learning the new vocabulary of brain injury as "taking bullets" that she would have to carry for the rest of her life. This is true.
And this unwelcomed circumstance reflects the wider dimension of changed lives. At times Bev tells James, "You're not the man I married" and "I still miss James." James has told the world, "I'm no longer James Cracknell." His description of how the injury has affected his outlook is very honest and in my opinion, the most compelling part of his story.
Both mention how it's the invisible dimension of brain injury that is more difficult to deal with. This is true, too.
Case in point was James's description of neuropsychologist and psychiatrist tests:
"They only knew me as a patient post-accident but not the person I was or what I was capable of before the accident. So how could they impose these ceilings on my recovery based on results from generalised tests?"
We have the same complaint. In fact, neither of us were ever asked about our personalities or habits pre-injury. I still don't understand scientifically how anyone could make predictions without examining what made a person tick before an injury.
James also recalled a qualified compliment he received after giving television commentary: "That was really good," he was told, "especially for someone with a brain injury." Like anyone with a disability, James said that he wants to be judged as a person, not someone with a brain injury.
With me present, a specialist once told my wife that before speaking she could tell strangers that she has had a stroke (to explain why her voice isn't as clear). I counter-suggested that she should not, to reduce the likelihood of her being patronised. Unlike James, my wife is not famous, so it has been easier for her to present herself as herself, and not someone with a brain injury.
Both James and Bev are told that the majority of marriages fail when one has had a brain injury. It is easy to see why. Bev describes how the dynamics of a marriage of mutuality changes to one of physical and mental dependency. It's not easy to deal with, I know. And James acknowledges this, in describing his marriage now as more of a business partnership. Both want their relationship to move back towards the centre.
Bev tells of the experience of a new friend whose marriage came undone three years after her husband's accident. Bev asked what was the final straw? "His lack of confidence. It killed me. I couldn't live with it." Bev said that she knew what she meant.
Thankfully, my wife still has confidence: "If we've survived this, we can survive anything ... it's the ultimate challenge."
So although Touching Distance isn't the best written prose, like dealing with an unwanted challenge, it is worth persisting with to reach a positive conclusion and hope for a better future.
February 15, 2013
This is an involving book, taking you into the public and personal lives of James Cracknell and his wife Beverley Turner. Cracknell was an Olympic rower and his wife a fledgling media star when they met and married and started to build a life together. This book is the story of how their lives had been and progressed until Cracknell suffered a massive head injury in an accident while making a Discovery Channel programme about cycling across America.
The book splits into two halves, pre-accident and post-accident, and is told alternately by the couple. So in the first half you get a fairly macho account by Cracknell about his Olympic and other exploits, while his wife gives a somewhat girly-girl account of her life and works before their world changed. The accident is then a massive watershed in their lives, with both of them trying to come to terms with the "new James" after it, a more stubborn, more angry, more difficult and taciturn version of the man that had been there before. (And it is clear that Cracknell wasn't all that easy a person to live with before the accident!)
I couldn't help but admire the two of them, although my admiration stretches further with Beverley Turner. Cracknell was a difficult, selfish and self-centred bloke before the accident, but afterwards she has to have the patience of a saint as she tries to nurse him through the trauma of a brain injury that makes him even more difficult. And, all the time, both of them are having to acknowledge that this might be as good as it gets.
The final chapters of the book give a good impression of how hard it has been on both of them. You are left wondering if the couple are looking at a life together that's not unlike the trans-Atlantic crossing in a rowing boat that Cracknell made with Ben Fogle. There are the odd moments of warmth, elation and love, interspaced with longer periods of gruelling hard work, pain and lots of tears. Still, you find at the end that you are rooting for them to make it together.
The book splits into two halves, pre-accident and post-accident, and is told alternately by the couple. So in the first half you get a fairly macho account by Cracknell about his Olympic and other exploits, while his wife gives a somewhat girly-girl account of her life and works before their world changed. The accident is then a massive watershed in their lives, with both of them trying to come to terms with the "new James" after it, a more stubborn, more angry, more difficult and taciturn version of the man that had been there before. (And it is clear that Cracknell wasn't all that easy a person to live with before the accident!)
I couldn't help but admire the two of them, although my admiration stretches further with Beverley Turner. Cracknell was a difficult, selfish and self-centred bloke before the accident, but afterwards she has to have the patience of a saint as she tries to nurse him through the trauma of a brain injury that makes him even more difficult. And, all the time, both of them are having to acknowledge that this might be as good as it gets.
The final chapters of the book give a good impression of how hard it has been on both of them. You are left wondering if the couple are looking at a life together that's not unlike the trans-Atlantic crossing in a rowing boat that Cracknell made with Ben Fogle. There are the odd moments of warmth, elation and love, interspaced with longer periods of gruelling hard work, pain and lots of tears. Still, you find at the end that you are rooting for them to make it together.
November 1, 2015
I bought this book in a charity shop on Edinburgh, mainly so I wouldn't look like a total Billy no mates when I was sat in a pub on my own... Anyway, it was quite superb. Tells the story of James Cracknell's rose to fame as an Olympic rower, meeting and marrying his wife Bev, and onwards to the accident in America where he suffered a frontal lobe brain injury.
Both James and Bev contribute to the book, giving a different point of view as to how the accident and the 'new' James affected their lives.
A really interesting and inspiring read.
Both James and Bev contribute to the book, giving a different point of view as to how the accident and the 'new' James affected their lives.
A really interesting and inspiring read.
August 14, 2013
I could not put this book down, what an emotional and powerful story of a close family who come to terms with traumatic brain injury. I have incredible admiration for Bev and James after reading this and now have a better knowledge about such a devastating injury.
December 19, 2025
I read Touching Distance as someone who has experienced the impact of a head injury through a loved one, and the story was both relatable and heartrending.
James Cracknell’s perspective on his recovery, along with the struggles he and his wife faced, felt incredibly raw and honest. I appreciate that he shared his journey, making it a valuable read for those in similar situations.
It’s an inspiring and emotional story that brings awareness to the challenges of recovery.
James Cracknell’s perspective on his recovery, along with the struggles he and his wife faced, felt incredibly raw and honest. I appreciate that he shared his journey, making it a valuable read for those in similar situations.
It’s an inspiring and emotional story that brings awareness to the challenges of recovery.
March 22, 2019
I wanted to get straight into the post accident as my accident was similar.
Hit from behind on a cycle long distance event
The book is a story of the main events of James sporting career and it's interesting to me how the accident changed his perspective from a dedication to win to a dedication to finish.
Hit from behind on a cycle long distance event
The book is a story of the main events of James sporting career and it's interesting to me how the accident changed his perspective from a dedication to win to a dedication to finish.
February 3, 2022
Absolutely hilarious in parts but extremely moving at the same time. Wasn't sure if it I was meant to be laughing but some of the stories about his time recovering in hospital were very funny. A fascinating insight into the mind of an Olympic great and his family's struggles to reform their lives after a horrible accident.
November 29, 2019
The writing style is a bit laboured at times, but the second half of the book which discusses his recovery and ongoing battle with the consequences of a terrible head injury is remarkably honest and really engaging. Very brave to be so honest about the changes it's made in his life.
March 25, 2024
I enjoed this book. He is very driven, I guess all Olympic athletes are. I don't he ever gave himself time to let the brain injury have an impact on his mental health he didn't stop. Amazing Athlete. It got me going to the gym after two strokes.
December 25, 2018
Enjoyed this
September 9, 2021
Open and honest (and clever way to give you an overview of his pre TBI adventures so you might buy those books as well).
October 22, 2021
Amazing bloke, has achieved so much in life before and after his accident.
June 8, 2022
Fantastic account of an incredible journey from Olympic gold to recovery from traumatic brain injury. Incredibly touching and thought provoking.
January 18, 2023
Nice easy reader, outlining the struggles for all concerned when a person sadly has a severe head injury.
January 14, 2017
Great insight into what drives the man & how he and his wife have coped following his accident
March 21, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book. It didn't focus too much on the rowing. I'm not sure I understand why other reviewers found this book self-centred. The book is a biography which I understood to mean as being about someone and their life. Professional athletes have to be self-centred to some extent to exceed but they are still human beings with feelings. This book gave me a small amount of information about James Cracknell's early life, his Olympic attempts and his life after his accident. The early years information gave a good insight of James and how his early behaviour developed as he became an adult. There was some humour throughout the book. I finished the book thinking that James Cracknell and his wife have experienced an eventful life so far but they are determined for it not to be their final defining event. There so many other brain injury sufferers and families in far worse positions and James Cracknell and Beverley Turner admire them for their continued journeys.
February 18, 2013
This book is an incredibly honest, open account of the effect that brain injury has had on James Cracknell, Olympic gold GB rower. James talks about himself, his motivation, his sport & marriage in great depth.
I found the story of his athletic career interesting, but the story of his head injury and recovery (so far) fascinating.
James the athlete came across as someone rather selfish, but then a person would need to be to succeed to the incredible degree that he has. His stubborn nature will serve him well in his recovery I am sure.
A good read for anyone affected by head injury.
I found the story of his athletic career interesting, but the story of his head injury and recovery (so far) fascinating.
James the athlete came across as someone rather selfish, but then a person would need to be to succeed to the incredible degree that he has. His stubborn nature will serve him well in his recovery I am sure.
A good read for anyone affected by head injury.
February 27, 2013
Amazing. No words can describe the pain the pain that the Cracknell family must have gone though, and the strength that they are all showing to cope with the aftermath of the accident that nearly killed James. I never realised just how difficult life must be for a person with a brain injury - this book has really opened my eyes to that. I admit it's not holiday reading (I was bawling my eyes out in places) but it has to be one of the most moving books that I have read for a very long time.
November 28, 2012
Worth reading for the last few chapters, which pack a real punch. But because I've read James's other books and watched the TV programmes / DVDs he has made, a fair bit of the earlier stuff in the book felt like a recap. You can't help but feel for them both at the end, and a real education in the effects of a Traumatic Brain Injury.
January 19, 2014
The book describes James' early life as he got into rowing and tried for the Olympic team but mainly focuses on the impact of his serious accident on his life and career. Funny, humbling, motivating, it is a terrific read. The stats given on serious brain injuries are quite shocking, he was lucky to have support around him. Absolutely recommend.
May 5, 2013
What can I say? I could not put this book down, from the moment I turned the first page, I was engrossed. Such a moving story seen from both sides, with James wife Beverley giving her thoughts and feelings, and the impact his accident had on there family and everyday life. If you only want to read one book about a families fight after a life changing event, you must read this one.
December 7, 2014
Fantastic! One of few autobiographies I have read which gives you an insight into the person rather than a media character. It is surprisingly honest and frank in discussing James before and after the accident, his olympic career and family life. James is a real inspiration, both for his athletic achievements and his fight to recover from the life changing accident. His wife Bev, even more so!
May 14, 2016
An account of life after a traumatic brain injury and the affect on the individual and their family. This brave and touching account of a life is very readable, fascinating and heart rending. The strength of James Cracknell and his wife and the love and support of the wider family unit shines through.
December 5, 2012
Interesting in that I began to read it because James Cracknell seemed almost superhuman and someone to admire... Yet as I read through I began to hugely admire the courage, strength and determination of his wife Beverly. She is truly the heroic one in these pages.
June 18, 2017
I LOVE JAMES CRACKNELL. Fact. I find him one of the most inspiring sportsmen in Britain. Whenever I feel demotivated I just have to read/watch his documentaries and I think if he can accomplish what he does, then I can try a little bit harder to overcome obstacles.
July 15, 2015
I'm not a huge autobiography fan but this is a very involving read written by both him and his wife. I knew how extremely determined and competitive he was but I hadn't appreciated the severity of his bike accident in Arizona. What a tough battle.
November 8, 2013
Heart wrenching and heart warming, this is an emotional and poignant story of an amazing man and his equally amazing wife, and the strength of spirit which we must all possess, but hopefully will never have to draw on to this extent.
April 2, 2014
Well written account of life as an Olympian, followed by the struggles and coming to terms with brain injury. Split between James's account and his wife Bev. Startlingly honest, frank and insightful. Bev is a rock and inspiration.
February 4, 2013
very emotional read. some parts are by James and some by Beverley his wife. good insight to brain injury affected relationships. would recommend this book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews