Mike Harris
This is my second autobiographical book and follows hot on the heels of my first publication, ëSixty Years an Athleteí. The two books quickly roll into one; they are part of the same story and as such one without the other is likely to be at best, fragmented, and at worst, almost futile. On reflection, I have been somewhat ëluckyí in life, because for over 60 years as a working amateur athlete I have very quietly led ëtwo very different livesí both of which have run simultaneously and side by side. My first book was mainly (although by no means all) about an ambitious amateur athlete who with a huge amount of commitment and manoeuvrability combined family life, work commitments, as well as social obligations with obsessive sporting ambitions and aspirations which led to the wearing of a Great Britain tracksuit for approximately ten years.The first book told only ëpartí of the autobiography, so this is perhaps predictably labelled Sixty Years an Athlete (part two) but with a sub-title I have thoughtfully labelled ëfilling in the cracksí as it is about so many other issues which took place right alongside the unique intensity of athletic training and competitive sport. I was always an ëamateurí athlete, and invariably remain so, always paying my way by working full time, I was never sick; I have no hesitation in stating quite categorically that my story dating from 11th August 1951 right up to today 25th January 2018 is unique, incomparable and definitely in no way predictable!
