Noakes, Tim, MBCHB, MD, PhD

Prof Tim Noakes is one of the world’s leading authorities on the science behind sport and a successful sportsman in his own right. Through a lifetime of research, he has developed key scientific concepts in sport that have not only redefined the way elite athletes and teams approach their professions but challenged conventional global thinking in these areas. In his book, Challenging Beliefs, Noakes gives his views on everything from the myths perpetuated by the sports-drink industry and the dangers of overtraining and overdrinking to the prevalence of banned substances and the need to make rugby a safer sport. In a brand new chapter, he explains why he has replaced his high-carb eating habits with a protein-rich diet, and in a controversial addition, he sets out why the Springboks did not win the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The teams and athletes with whom Noakes has worked make a fascinating backdrop to his sporting philosophies and highlight the importance of science in sport in human terms. In providing an intimate look at the golden threads running through Noakes’s life and career, this truly remarkable book reveals the ground-breaking theories and principles generated by one of the greatest minds in the history of sports science. Tim Noakes is also the Discovery Health Professor of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Cape Town. He is a lifelong athlete and is rated an A1-scientist by the National Research Foundation.

In 2008 he was awarded the Order of Mapungubwe by the President of South Africa for ‘excellent contribution to the field of sport and the science of physical exercise’. His book Lore of Running is considered the global ‘bible’ of running. He has been married to Marilyn Anne for 39 years, and they have two children, Travis and Candice. Tim is the co-founder of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, along with rugby icon Morné du Plessis.

To find Prof Noakes online, go to: Website, Facebook, Twitter.