Running: The Autobiography

by Ronnie O'Sullivan

World snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan's frank and honest account of his astonishingly dramatic life.

Running is my drug. To be honest, drugs (and alcohol) used to be my drug, but now I've got the healthiest addiction going.

Running is what has helped me fight my demons, win five world snooker championships, and cope with all the crap life's thrown at me. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and in this book I look at everything that hasn't killed me, but has had a good go - my addictive personality, depression, my dad's murder conviction, the painful break-up with the mother of my children, the difficulty of balancing family life with that of a sportsman. Those are the downers.

But it's also about the great things in my life - my kids, snooker, my dad's release from prison, great mates who have helped me, and the psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters who has taught me how not to run away from life when it gets tricky.

For the first time, I explain some of my madder moments - why I walked out in the middle of a match against Stephen Hendry, why I sat with a wet cloth over my face in a match against Mark King.

This is a book about what it takes to be a champion - the sacrifices you have to make, the obsessive practice, the selfishness. Finally, it's a book about what it's like to get the buzz. and I hope anybody who's ever got the running buzz will relate to this.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Sports, British Literature, Ebooks

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2009

About the author

Ronnie O'Sullivan is widely regarded as the most gifted snooker player ever. In May 2012 he won the World Championship and announced his retirement. He then returned in May 2013, having not played for a year, to win the World Championship for a fifth time.

Reviews

[Ivan Bogdanov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Рони О'Съливан, Ракетата, ми е кумир в снукъра. Откакто гледам сериозно снукър, гледам основно него.
И си взех тази книга с надеждата да разбера нещо за професионалния му път.
А получих нещо съвсем друго. Прочетох една книга за един нещастен и силно депресиран мъж. Мъж, който трябва да играе постоянно снукър, който вече му е омръзнал, но не знае друг начин да печели пари, за да плаща издръжката на децата си.
Мъж, оглозган от адвокатите на бившата си съпруга. Никога не си търсете жена с проблеми като вашите, още повече в групи където се обсъждат подобни проблеми.
Рони намира спасения от цялата тази депресия (влачеща след себе си алкохол и наркотици) в бягането. Всъщност в цялата книга се говори за това как бяха редовните си три мили на пресечен терен, какво братство е открил сред бягащите и колко добре се чувства от това.
Мечтата на живота му е, да бъде сред тези шестима бегачи, които ще представят неговия окръг на първенството на Англия. Това че току що е спечелил 4 световна титла в снукъра се споменава мимоход - ми отидох, играхме, аз бях по-стабилен психически.
Ако ви интересва как един мъж се бори за живота си - това е вашата книга.
Литературно не е нещо особено, но е много искрена.

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read half way through and couldnt get into it YAWNNNNNN

[Antje · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine kurzweilige Lektüre für jeden, der begeistert Mr. O'Sullivan beim Versenken 15 roter und 6 farbiger Kugeln zusieht. Obwohl detaillierte Spiel-Frequenzen nur vereinzelt geschildert werden. Der Titel kündigt jedoch von vornherein "Laufen" an, sein gesünderes Mittel, seelische Balance zu finden. Überdies erzählt er von seinem Leben im Allgemeinen, seinen Eltern, seinen Sporthelden, dem Umgang mit seinem "Schimpansen" (für mich das interessanteste Kapitel) sowie seinen emotionalen Tiefpunkten. Als besonders lohnenswert empfinde ich die Beschreibung seiner Gefühlswelt, wenn er am Snookertisch auf seine Gegner trifft, vor allem, wenn diese eher defensiv als offensiv spielen und Frames sich stundenlang in die Länge ziehen. - Ein sympathischer Einblick in das Leben eines professionellen Snooker-Spielers.

[Tapan Modi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snooker is one of my favourite sports, all because of the Legend - Ronnie O'Sullivan. When I first saw his videos playing snooker on YouTube, it just blew me away. I was amazed to see him controlling the cue ball on the table and hitting the pots by calculating the most difficult angles so easily.

I knew that he had his ups and downs in his life. So I was really curious to know how he overcame those and won 5 WSC titles and I did get the answers. He has opened his heart out in this book about his life. He has written all the unpalatable incidents of his life in a really frank manner which is good because you get the truth only out this book after reading. So, as a snooker fan and as a Ronnie's fan, I enjoyed this book very much.

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before reading this, I read a review that said it was surprising how much of the book focussed on running. I was actually pretty surprised by how much of the book focussed on snooker. Not my bag, and really poorly written.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed large parts, particularly those on running and the relationship it has with positive mental health. It's not particularly well written and very clunky, but what else would you expect? The man is iconic, but certainly has his demons. His 10km PB has made me incredibly jealous too.

[Tanya Allsopp · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy enough to read book but there are a lot of words without really saying anything. It can be quite repetitive and opens more questions than it answers.
His connection with running, whilst obviously there, is explored in dribs and drabs and the journey that he has taken with it just doesn't engage fully with the reader. I was hoping for more depth in how he had really connected instead of the technicality of his games. He seems like a nice lad and I'm glad I read the book but, although I read it in one sitting, I was really hoping that the book in its entirety would give me some sense of tangibility. Instead, it feels a little like a wasted opportunity and with little more to understand his passion of running than can be gleaned from Wikipedia.

[Oliver · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

Feel fooled. Thought it was mainly gonna be about running. Turns out snooker takes up the major part of the book. BORING. I have zero interest in snooker. Altho the book is by a snooker pro I thought he was gonna venture into his running much more. As I learned he had written a book about his life before. So I thought that part of his life was already covered. Apparently not.

Not recommended unless you are a snooker fan.

[Claudia Șerbănescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivantă chiar de la primele pagini. O recomand tuturor admiratorilor acestui sportiv.

[Greywood Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rambling and poorly written, repeats itself and the timeline was a bit all over the shop. Still, I had no idea Ronnie could run so well. A good chap and hope he keeps on playing snooker AND running!

[cross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Ronnie, love snooker, and love running but dear me, not enough to give this more than 3 stars.

[Niko Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest and personal!

[Maria Todorova-Takucheva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Не знам защо, но след прочита на тази книга, Рони ми стана симпатичен. Надникнах в живота му и си дадох сметка, че зад абсурдното му повечение (на моменти) се крие една ранима душа, която проsто иска да играе любимия си снукър, да се вижда с дечицата си и да тича. Нищо кой знае какво, но всеки се опитва да го спира в тези му начинания. Дадох си още повече сметка колко труд и пот стои зад всичките титли и колко от демоните си е трябвало да пребори, за да стигне до заветните световни титли. Аз не съм сред феновете на Рони, но не отричам гения му. Особено симпатичен ми стана, когато прочетох, че уважава Робъртсън и се дразни на Селби. :D Напоследък Селби се превърна в изключително дразнещ играч и явно затова е победил О'Съливан на финала на световното.
Прекрасна книга, с която се сдобих малко преди демонстративния му мач с Джими Уайт в Пловдив (комплекс Сила). Даже имам и автограф. :D Тогава Рони победи Джими с 5:3.

[Piotr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Książka autentyczna, bo chaotyczna i miejscami wulgarna, w sumie tak jak sam autor. Przeskakuje ciągle w czasie i temacie, nie ma co szukać przesłania, bo chyba Ronnie w różnych fragmentach sam sobie przeczy. Z drugiej strony nie jest to zupełny chaos, jest coś w rodzaju zakończenia i podsumowania, miejscami widać przemyślaną strukturę. Nie czyta się tego z czystą przyjemnością, ale to samo można powiedzieć o śledzeniu samej kariery O’Sullivana. Co wartościowe w książce to że pozwala zrozumieć, co siedzi w głowie niecodziennego sportowca, poznać wydarzenia w trakcie turniejów, których nie widziały kamery ani dziennikarze.

Dla fana O’Sullivana pozycja obowiązkowa, chociaż nie ma co się spodziewać lekkiej lektury.

[Razvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

O poveste impresionanta!!! Ce m-a surprins e lejeritatea cu care povesteste toate lucrurile bune sau mai puntin bune din viata lui. Si e al naibii de sincer! Oricum ramane cel mai bun jucator de snooker la ora actuala si e al naibii de greu sa fi acolo si sa te mentii acolo. Citeste autobiografia si cu siguranta il vei privi cu alti ochi.....mai umani as zice. Mie mi-a placut...

[Benjamin Ayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Ronnie O'Sullivan and/or snooker then you'll enjoy this! It's a glimpse into the mind and inner workings of Ronnie's world. Ronnie to me is the greatest player ever and his unique character only enhances the appeal of World Snooker!

[Dalius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiografijų mėgėjams ši knyga be jokios abejonės, kad patiks. Lengva, šmaikšti, atvirai įdomi. Sporto, o ypač biliardo fanams - privaloma. Bėgikai taip pat ras kabinančių vietų.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting insight into Ronnie O’Sullivan, it read like it was dictated by him and it was fascinating.

[Constantin Ursu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a big fan of Ronnie ever since he won his first masters and then became world's number 1 snooker player in late 2003-early 2004. He was playing against legends like John Higgins and the late Paul Hunter, all of whom were great players, but Ronnie had that special something that had more to do with playing the adversaries rather than playing the table. Finally I got to know what it is, but I won't leave any spoilers here. I'm glad he's turned his life around and I'm glad to see he's still at it, winning his 8th masters just as I was reading this book.

[Peter Andersson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I heard that Ronnie O'Sullivan had won the World Championships a 6th time I decided to re-read this book. It's still as good, must be one of the best sports memoirs out there, not to mention that he deserves massive retroactive kudos for openly going out on a limb to discuss his mental performance problems as an elite athlete - a whole 8 years before some Tokyo Olympics dittos managed to get mainstream media to acknowledge that is obviously sometimes a thing. As a runner myself I also love that he's named the book after his second best sport (he's run the 10000 meters in sub 35 minutes), that probably hurt sales, but seems to be the kind of spur-of-the-moment joke on everybody he sometimes play. Five stars.

[Philip Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished Ronnie's latest book and I really enjoyed it. It's a real roller coaster ride from start to finish, and parts of it made me laugh out loud. Let's just say, he has a particular turn of phrase.

He's very candid and comes across as authentic and honest (to a fault). Some of the scrapes he has been in tell their own tales. I especially liked his stories about partying with Ronnie Wood!

I brilliant read!!

[Christel · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook)

I'm not a snooker fan in any way shape or form but I'm into my running hence why I decided to go for this one. However, Ronnie O'Sullivan is a running snob...in his opinion if you can't run a 10K in 35 minutes then you are not a runner. I wasn't a fan of his before and I'm even less of one now

[Stuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

As my rating suggests it was ok. Some interesting insights, and Ronnie's battle with his inner anxiety's is interesting. But it felt like the book covered about 5 stories which he told a few times.

[Joe Cooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it quite padded out. Going over some of the stories of the last book again and again. The snooker bits were interesting but feel he gave a light account of everything and there wasn't much detail. Preferred the earlier one.

[Joe Conlan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Right so I lied when I said I finished this. Just wanted it off my ‘currently reading’ section. Have a lot of love and respect for Ron but this just ain’t at the races. It’s painfully repetitive and just really grated on me. Probs should be a 1/5 but feels harsh.

[Nick Kidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's rare that I don't finish a book but this one I didn't. The story was interesting but the style was rather repetitive and a little dull - and Ronnie's style surely isn't dull!

[Esteban Angeles · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a boring read, would not recommend

[Ivaylo Dimitrov · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to watch snooker and Ronnie was my favorite player, but going through his book was painful and boring.

[Andrew Ives · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I'm not the world's biggest snooker fan. I used to watch it more in the Davis/Hendry era. Nowadays, if I ever watch it, it'll be because Ronnie is playing. I think he is an amazing player, quite probably the best there ever was. However, as with other sporting geniuses, such as Maradona, Best, Gascoigne, he's not always the most likeable of characters. He's clearly very highly-strung, quite eccentric and consequently, unpredictable to watch. This book starts off well, and I enjoyed the first 4 chapters or so, then rather noticeably, the quality of the writing drops off, the punctuation goes mostly to pot and the swearing comes in, falling apart completely by the end. The Guardian journalist who helped Ronnie with this should be ashamed of himself. There's plenty of story and goings-on here, but it's all told in rather a shambolic way. Compared to e.g. Alex Ferguson's book, this is a dog's dinner. This is more akin to something like Valentino Rossi's, which is very jumbled and honest - however, Rossi comes out of that well, and I didn't come out of this liking Ronnie so much by the end. As the title suggests, this book does contain rather a lot of details about running, so if you think it's going to be all snooker, it's not. Conversely, if you're into running, this contains rather a lot of snooker too, so it probably falls between two fanbases. An easy read, that serves probably more as an insight into mental health than anything else. As autobiographies go, it's alright but it wouldn't get into my top 16. 3.25/5

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m left confused by this book.

Firstly I didn’t know Ronnie O’Sullivan was a runner, even to the extent of giving up snooker if he could get into the Essex county running team!

On the one hand he’s a selfish pratt, putting his own wants and hobbies first, and his wife a long way down the pecking order. He’s an old school guy who leaves all the childcare and housework to the missus and can’t cope living more than a mile from Mummy.

Then on the flip side, he’s so gentle and misunderstood. All he wants is a quiet life and for everyone around him to he happy. He hates conflict or bling and doesn’t have the killer instinct against opponents I thought he had, in fact he has anything but the mentality of a traditional top sportsman!

He is incredibly generous and even spent a year volunteering on a farm where nobody knew who he was and he loved it!

All in all I think I like him (but I’d hate to be his wife)