Mark Allen, six-time Hawaii Ironman World Champion, coach, award-winning author and motivational speaker, has now confirmed the release date of the long-anticipated book The Art of Competition. Currently available for pre-order at art-of-competition.com, the book, which got up to speed as a Kickstarter crowd funding initiative, will ship on 19 August.
The Art of Competition features ‘ninety of Mark Allen’s most thought-provoking and significant quotes, borne of his own spiritual and competitive journey, paired with symbolic and stunning two-page images from nature.’
It was only when Mark Allen recast his journey from competition into art that he captured the elusive Ironman World Championship victory that led to a total of six successive wins. The chapters within The Art of Competition represent key themes that are vital to this process of turning competition into art – themes such as Change, Fear and Being Stuck.
Mark Allen notes that the Art of Competition is when a physical, visceral experience — filled with sweat and pain, with extreme control and pure gut-wrenching strength—transforms into a flow of movement, where you stop thinking about victory or failure and just become a vehicle for a truly great performance. This is when competition is transformed into art.
The quotes in The Art of Competition came to Mark while on retreat in Japan with his spiritual teacher Brant Secunda, nearly ten years after retiring from competition and Ironman racing. The words to explain the mind-set he had found had eluded him to this point, then in the span of two days he had penned the quotes that encapsulated the mindset of a champion – thoughts that formed the backbone of The Art of Competition.
Each quote is meant to release personal perfection in the moments that count most. The evocative photos are of scenes ‘far more enduring or lasting than our individual successes’.
In addition to The Art of Competition, 600 autographed Limited Edition copies will be issued featuring a bonus section of 24 expanded quotes with examples of how they can be applied.
Jim Collins, author of bestsellers Built to Last, Good to Great, and How the Mighty Fall, wrote in his forward, “That is the artistic gift, the ability to see or perhaps sense something others cannot quite put their finger on and use art to express it, and that is what Mark has done here. He has captured the inner terrain of the true competitor through photos and quotes, unlike anything I have seen before.”
This book is ‘for anyone in business, sports, or life, who seeks to change a challenge into art, who needs a game-changing approach to a different outcome.’
The Art Of Competition was enthusiastically funded through a Kickstarter campaign and is available for pre-order now at art-of-competition.com.
Retailers interested in selling The Art Of Competition may contact Mindi Rowland (mrowland[at]ipgbook.com, +1 312 337 0747).
