No Retreat, No Surrender: The inspiring story of a world-champion sportsman and cancer warrior

by Oscar Chalupsky, Graham Spence

Few athletes hold a record comparable to that of Oscar Chalupsky. He made history at the age of fifteen as the first person to win both the Junior and Senior Ironman titles on the same day at the South African National Lifesaving Championships, he was the country’s spokesman at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and he is a multiple-times global surfski champion, having won the internationally famous Molokai to Oahu World Surfski Marathon championships in Hawaii a record twelve times – his most recent victory being at the age of forty-nine.

Then, in 2019, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable bone marrow cancer and told he had six months to live. But as with everything else Oscar does, he is determined to emerge victorious. He continues to paddle kayaks, play golf, and with a combination of medical treatment, exercise, iron determination and unconquerable optimism, he has defied every doctor’s prediction to date. How does he do it?

In this book, Oscar relives some of his most exhilarating and nail-biting races, and shares the lessons he has learnt from winning on the international surf lifesaving, kayak and surfski circuits as well as running several successful businesses. The final chapters recount his courageous battle against cancer, the vital support of his family and friends, and his refusal to let the deadly disease dictate his life. No Retreat, No Surrender is an uplifting account of grit, perseverance, talent and attitude, vividly capturing the determined mindset of an inspirational sporting legend.

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 18, 2022

Reviews

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually got into this audiobook well narrated by Malcolm Gooding in error, thinking it was something else. I am not a sports fan of any kind, but like sometimes that does not stop me from enjoying a sports themed movie, I still really enjoyed this book. The story of his will and determination to succeed despite even privation and poverty -- like many musician biographies I enjoy -- I found very engaging. Also, the story of Epic kayaks as a business with the travails of business in China is very interesting. But perhaps most importantly, Penguin Random House South Africa did an excellent job leveraging the possibilities of the audiobook format. This includes sound effects, such as water, paddles, etc. (For some reason, audio quality issues mar the first several minutes.) This includes Oscar himself in mini-interviews at the end of each chapter about "lessons learned" relevant to that chapter. This is motivational stuff, very tersely delivered which is impactful right after the chapter.

As a spouse to an avid racer, I can very much relate to Oscar's wife Cate's observation:

This resulted in not only a lot of driving - and I mean a lot - but also hours and hours of waiting. Many of the races started in the morning and only ended in the afternoon. I was either waving goodbye at the beginning or waving frantically at the end to show him where I was.