Hard Wired: Life, Death and Triathlon

by Emma Carney, Jane E Hunt

Fresh out of school and emerging as one of Australia's future distance running stars, Emma Carney discovered the sport of triathlon. The sport was never the same again. With an unmatched record, she devastated the international circuit. Defined by a relentless pursuit of sporting excellence, Emma was known to detest losing more than she loved to win.At home in the cutthroat world of professional sport, Emma didn't expect a welcoming party waiting for her when she reached the pinnacle of triathlon. A fiercely independent athlete, fitting in and conforming was never her style. Rules annoyed her. Authority irritated her. And that complicated things…Emma's is a life publicly defined by winning. But like sport, nothing is predictable. Success is fickle, life is fragile.Emma's story reveals that international sporting success is about much more than winning. Courage is a constant. Hard work and dedication are vital, as are unwavering passion, belief, and desire. But there is more. Emma's story also raises who is truly there when things go wrong, when the system fails? Who cares when you find yourself dying on the roadside, saving yourself only to then lose your sister, identity, self-belief and hope in everything you once believed in...?

Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2021

Reviews

[Edwardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, particularly when Emma started talking about her family, I felt her pain as I went through a similar experience

[Kristygardiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I couldn’t put a book down and about 40% in on the Kindle, that is what happened. I actually went to school with Emma at Wesley from Grade 3 onwards. Back then she was already physically superior. She was the one the boys couldn’t catch in kiss chasey! She also had an English accent that I picked up for a while. She’s irreverent and incorrigible and usually giggles when she talks, which I added in while I read the book. She’s very funny. Through school her family were hard workers - they built their own mud brick house, then they owned a bakery in Camberwell toward the end of the school years and the girls were always working there. Emma would do homework in her lunchtime. She was clever and driven. She had massive ability and so at the start of the book Emma knows this and with her Dads unwavering faith in her (and the stats) they rock up and know that Emma with her killer instinct and preparation will win at any Triathlon. And she did. It’s amazing. This is not the most interesting part of the book. It’s what happens just before half way in the book. The ominous threads of a story that tells of athletes pushed around to their detriment by coaches and an organizing body. Also her own body begins to be mysteriously unreliable. It’s in this period of things going wrong and onwards that the pace picks up and Hardwired becomes unputdownable. Emma truly is a champion in these struggles and how she gets through those tough times. It’s not as easy as winning triathlons. Emma is a straight talker and flat out honest. The chapter about Jane is heartbreaking. The chapter about her marriage speaks to overcoming domestic abuse. This book is recommendable on so many levels. It’s a terrific read.