June 02, 2003, 12:30
Professor Tim Noakes has won the prestigious University of Cape Town's Book Award of 2003 for his runner's guide, the mammoth Lore of Running, fourth edition.
At 1300 pages, the book carries considerable weight in sports science circles around the world. In its fourth edition, the book offers the same comprehensive overview of running that made the first edition in 1985 a best seller.
Launched at the Sports Science Institute in 2001, the book is also one of Oxford University's Press's most successful titles; the fourth edition sold 15 000 copies in the United States alone in the first four months after its release there, something of a coup, given its size. The award is presented by UCT's Book Award Committee and is given annually to a member of the University community. Dr. Marilet Sienaert, Director of Research at UCT, said competition for the award was extremely tough as nominees were drawn from a wide range of categories. Fictional, artistic and musical works are considered alongside academic books of all categories, inclusive of manuals and works of popularisation.
Some of the reasons for selecting Lore of Running were that it had received excellent reviews from top scientific journals and that it had a wide audience of both novice and elite runners. The Lore of Running is widely thought of as the Runners' Bible covering everything from the latest in research to training schedules, nutrition, psychology and advice on injuries. The fourth edition is also the first to publish findings on the Central Governor theory, which investigates how an athlete's brain determines their performance.
The book is based on scientific studies and includes a comprehensive list of references allowing the reader to follow up on specific topics. The award is also a personal triumph. Noakes says he is honoured to be able to stand alongside previous winners including authors like Andre P Brink, JM Coetzee, and especially his mentor Professor Lionel Opie. "He has been very influential in my career and it's an honour to be classed in the same league," he remarked.
He also regards his nomination by Opie, and head of human biology, Professor Kit Vaughan as well the team of academic staff and postgraduate students at the UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine as a huge compliment. Noakes has decided to donate the R25 000 purse to the Ziphelele Mbambo Memorial Scholarship Fund, set up by the Unit recently in memory of a promising Master's student in sports science, killed a few years ago in a hijacking in KwaZulu-Natal. The fund is aimed at encouraging disadvantaged scholars into the same field that has won the Unit the respect of sports scientists around the globe. - Sapa
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