Against
the Clock
A story about running, reinvention and discovering that some of life’s most rewarding chapters can begin later than you think.
It starts with running. It becomes a story about life.
Against the Clock tells the story of going from discovering running in my late fifties to eventually competing for Great Britain and becoming a World Champion.
But the book is really about something much broader than athletics … discovering that some of life’s most rewarding chapters can begin later in life, finding the courage to try something completely new, overcoming setbacks, looking after yourself, making new friendships and, perhaps most importantly, believing that improvement is still possible whatever your age.
There are races won and races lost, injuries, doubts, unexpected friendships and plenty of moments when the clock seems to be telling you that time is running out.
What the journey taught me
It’s never too late
You don’t need to have started young. Sometimes the hardest part is simply starting in the first place.
Keep going
Injuries, setbacks, and disappointments are all part of the journey. They don’t have to define where it ends.
Believe improvement is possible
The clock keeps moving, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop improving. Age changes the challenge. It doesn’t remove the possibility.
Read it. Buy it. And help someone else get started.
When Against the Clock launches, there will be two ways to read it.
Buy a copy
Prefer a physical or kindle copy? You will be able to purchase Against the Clock directly from Amazon when the book is published.
The button below will link to the Amazon book page once it is live.
All book income will go to a Young Athletes bursary fund.
I don’t want the story to end with me.
I also don’t want to benefit financially from the book myself.
One of the things I’d really like to do is give something back to the sport that has given me so much.
If the book does well, I’d like all of the proceeds to go to a Young Athletes bursary fund for young people who would like to take up athletics but whose families might struggle with the costs.
The fund could potentially help with:
- Club membership and joining fees
- Athletics kit and equipment
- Competition entry fees
- Travel to competitions
- Other costs that can become a barrier to getting involved
The exact structure and administration of the bursary fund will be developed with an appropriate athletics or charitable organisation.
Stuart Lynn
I discovered running and athletics almost by accident in my late fifties. What started as a new challenge soon became something much bigger. A new sporting purpose. It began with a treadmill, then jogging, parkrun and the Great North Run, before I discovered sprinting with North Shields Poly. From there came competing for Great Britain and racing at National, European and World Masters Championships.
Along the way, there have been North East, Scottish and British titles, European and World success, and plenty of highs and lows on the international stage. Most of it I could never have imagined when I first stepped onto that treadmill.
But the medals are only part of the story.
Against the Clock is my attempt to capture what I learned along the way. About ambition, ageing, resilience, friendship and the strange joy of chasing a fraction of a second.
Stuart
What if your next chapter is your best one yet?
Against the Clock is a memoir about discovering that the starting line can appear at any age.