Path to Success

By Ray Matthews

Format: Paperback

(1 customer review)

Publication Date: 28 May 2023

£10.99

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Categories: Sport and Hobbies, Autobiography

ISBN: 9781915603524

Description

As part of his seventy-fifth birthday celebrations, Ray Matthews set himself a challenge to run seventy-five marathons in seventy-five days to raise seventy-five thousand pounds. Impossible was the judgement of most. But only those who risk going too far can find out how far they can go…

Raised in a Catholic, working-class family in Rotherham, Ray was forced to make important decisions throughout his youth that would give him the mental strength to endure a series of physically gruelling challenges in later life. He became a boxer at the age of ten, forging the standards that led to a positive lifestyle and his belief that the difference between the possible and the impossible often lies between our own two ears.

Path to Success documents how you need to be willing to stand on the start line, mentally and physically, because vision without action is nothing more than a dream.

Ray Matthews is a true Yorkshire man, born at a time when a certain Mr A. Hitler was still throwing bombs at us. Throughout his life, Ray has aspired to seemingly impossible feats of endurance, culminating in running seventy-five marathons in seventy-five days – a challenge which started two days after his seventy-fifth birthday – to raise money for his local special needs school.

Reviews

Ian Hopper (Guest Review) - 23 Feb, 2023

I’ve just finished reading the Manuscript, a terrific and very entertaining book!

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed ‘Path to Success’ – Ray, you really are a great story teller and I love the way it is written in ‘true Yorkshire’. You can almost hear the words being spoken. I thought intertwining the two themes of boxing and running worked really well – as they had in the previous book – and the whole story had a lovely flow to it.

There were some very funny bits – not least the lady from Dalton!

Apart from your own incredible achievement of running the 75 marathons, one thing that really struck me was the staggering number of people and organisations that all worked together to support and help you. It actually restores faith in the number of good, selfless people in the country who want to do good and help others. It’s how society should be.

I also thought that the guest contributions added a very different dimension and perspective to the story.

The ending of the book was fascinating. I had no idea about all the awards and the visit to Buckingham Palace – all incredibly well deserved. The end of the book is also very strong; I loved the adage ‘Movement is Medicine’, I thought the ‘5 rules’ were outstanding (How important are those rules these days when so many young people are obsessed by phones and social media), and I just laughed out load and the prospect of 100 at 100 – I may come out of running retirement for that one!!

I have to say as well, I’m looking forward to the actual ‘real’ book appearing – made of paper! – so that I can have a proper re-read! I find reading off a laptop screen or a phone screen very difficult – fancy an ‘old’ person preferring something traditional!

Honestly Ray, you should be so proud of the book – and the marathons