Customer Reviews

The Last Pick: The Boston Marathon Race Director's Road to Success

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was just what the doctor ordered as an antidote to a humdrum winter and a pudgy middle! I found the writing style endearing and Dave McGillivray's achievements to be inspiring. We may not all run across the country, but we can all have goals that challenge us. It's one of those books that you don't want to end...there's a magic to it that makes you feel ageless. I look at my aches and pains in a new way, and when I feel exhausted during a run I think "Well, at least I can stop before the next state...."

If you are in a mid-life funk, this is the book to read. Dave writes about many of his accompishments as if he were having a conversation with you and in all of his stories there is an important message: MOVE, BELIEVE, and SET GOALS no matter how lofty. I managed to finish one 5k race my entire life and I am just now realizing how important that race was.

Good material of challange, success and accepting retirement. Thank you I needed that now that I am in my 60's accepting retirement is hard for me. Thanks.

This is a chronicle of Dave's athletic achievements refracted through his wit, everyman's life and New England charm. He perseveres through the same ailments, injuries and woes as the rest of us - but he still pulls "it" off. Dave's vision to raise money and consciousness for great causes is on display here, too. I'm training for some personal goals this year (and for years to come.) I purchased one copy as a gift for a friend (his first "Boston") and a second copy for myself. I'm glad I purchased both.

I was very surprised at how much McGillivray accomplished in his life. I picked up his book expecting to read about a marathoner and his experience as the race director of the Boston Marathon and got so much more. McGillivray's cross country run, 24hr run, bike and swim and so on are just amazing in and of themselves.

Sometimes his motivation and drive does seem very obsessive compulsive, but it works for him. I was very inspired by everything he's done and the attitude he takes in life.

I must say that at times it did seem like McGillivray was tooting his own horn. I was also annoyed by the small excerpts and quotes that were literally on every other page. Some were legitimate quotes from a newspaper or contemporary runner/athlete, but many were just his family and friends and didn't really add any credence to his biography. The only thing that was useful was to see the words from the horse's mouth, so to speak, just before McGillivray went into a time in his life where that person was.

All in all a very inspiring book. I would definitely recommend.

4 stars.

Starts a bit slowly - just like a good long run - but certainly worth the time and effort as it hits its stride. This man "Dave" is motivational and exceptional in his physical achievements; and he's made most of them up while following his own template. AKA "Don't give Time anything... rather force Time to take from you" and this book follows that philosophy.

Great read Dave!
Inspiration from someone who has done some inspiring things. Dave's the real deal. Unlike many of our contemporary self-help prophets Dave's got the resume to back it up. He's unpretentious in his accounts and proves the value of setting goals, pursuing them like mad and then setting new goals until life becomes a happy whirl of accomplishment.
The most outstanding thing I learned, and Dave epitomizes, is the power of giving. If you sow so shall you reap - and look at what is possible! Helping people makes his world and ours a better place and that's his success.
I'll be running your (our) big race again this year - thank you and keep it coming...
Read this book and then buy a copy for someone you love.
Chris Russell

For those wondering about the purpose of reviews, "The Last Pick" offers a good lesson.

The cover of the book has the title, the subtitle "The Boston Marathon Race Director's Road to Success," the names of the authors and a picture of David McGillivray. Based on that, it would be easy to expect a book about McGillivray's experiences on the job. "Alberto Salazar one day told me that ..." or "I had to drive Joan Benoit Samuelson 90 miles an hour to get her to the starting line..." were the type of stories that figured to be in here.

Wrong.

It turns out McGillivray has been quite an athlete over the years, particularly in the area of endurance sports. He's run long distances, gone for less-than-quick dips in the pool, etc. This book is filled with stories about his own exploits. It has plenty of interesting portions.

The centerpiece of the book actually is a story that dates back to 1978. McGillivray had the idea to run across the country in order to raise money for the Jimmy Fund, a children's cancer unit in the Boston area. Such runs have become a little more common, if that's the right word, over the years, and they've gotten easier logistically. Cell phones, laptops and e-mail have made communication much more constant. McGillivray made across with an RV that staggered along the roads with him. He's good at describing the physical toll such a run takes along the way, which adds much to the story.

So what has he been doing athletically since then? Plenty. He runs a mile for each year of his life around his birthday, entered triathlons, and even tried to swim the English Channel (bad weather prevented it). McGillivray even runs the Boston Marathon course well after the race is over, following the course as best he can, as darkness sets in and traffic becomes a problem.

The title refers to the fact that McGillivray was on the small side growing up, and wasn't anyone's first choice when it came to sports and games. So he was, and is, determined to show that he could be a standout in athletics. I think he's made his point. His determination and drive are remarkable. What's more, he's done it for several good causes over the years, so his heart is in the right place.

There's a certain innocence in McGillivray's telling of the story. When he writes about some of the people he's helped over the years and describes them as "heroes," you can tell he's genuine.

This is a difficult book to categorize and probably loses a few points for that, particularly in the second half of a book that moves from subject to subject. It's an autobiography to a certain extent, although it's not particularly structured in a chronological sense. There certainly are inspirational moments, although the book isn't written strictly in that fashion. I certainly wouldn't call it a "how-to" guide for race directors.

Still, McGillivray comes off as a good, interesting person -- a little driven to the point of obsession in spots, but we all have such characteristics at times. Those looking for insight into endurance athletes will find plenty here.

McGillivray has led an amazing life, of that there is no doubt. His book chronicles some of his most incredibly adventures. I like it because there is a great mix of his motivation for success and his dealings with the occasional failure. Some of his ideas for inspiration seem specifically-tailored, I question whether pure stubborness will work for everyone, but it certainly did wonders for David.

The flow of the book is a little odd. The undisputed highlight is the coverage of his 3,200 mile run across the country in 80 days. While reading that section, his tone felt very natural, much like he had come to hang out with me and was telling me a great story. His recollections more or less followed his route, but sometimes he would jump around topics.

The rest of the book felt like anticlimax, despite the awe-inspiring accomplishments, because they were a little disjointed, there didn't seem to be a central story. I know with biography, you can't just invent a driving plot, but Last Pick felt more like a collection of short stories out of his life.

Still, it's a good, entertaining read, and if you're a runner it'll reignite your enthusiasm for the sport.

This is the most annoying, self-aggrandizing narrative ever written. He brags about everything he's ever done, inserts useless "quotes" from his friends and siblings - mostly quotes that brag about what a special guy he is, and acts as if he's the greatest and most selfless ultrarunner who has graced this green earth. He even has his "resume" of accomplishments at the end, to ensure that the reader has a full complement of information on what a swell guy Dave is.