Anyway, even if you are not into running, there are a lot of fascinating stories in the book. In the first 17 chapters, I got fascinated by the Tarahumara tribe (but will blog about this next time) and that of Czech runner, Emil Zatopek.
Zatopek was born in 1922 and was the first and only man ever to win the "triple crown" of the 5km, 10km races and the full marathon in a single Olympics. He is considered to be one of the creators of interval training (the method wherein a runner covers a short distance very quickly, then rests while running more slowly, then runs the distance again, rests again, runs again, and so on).He started running at the age of 16 while working for a shoe factory in Czechoslovakia. In 1941, the shoe factory sponsored a race through the streets of their town . He had never competed before and did not want to run but was forced by his employer. He finished second but as one reporter noted, it was probably motivated more by the desire to get it over with than the wish to shine in the event.
In 1952, athletes from Soviet Union and its satellite countries participated in the Olympic Games in Helsinki, for the first time since 1917. Zatopek had never won a full marathon before, but ecstatic by his wins in 5k and 10k, he decided to also compete in the Olympic marathon.
Since he didn’t have any idea about running in a marathon, he stuck close to the world record holder, Jim Peters of Great Britain, who was expected to win. Halfway, Zatopek wasn’t sure if his pacing was right so he approached Peters.
"Excuse me," Zatopek said, pulling alongside Peters. "This is my first marathon. Are we going too fast?"
"No," Peters replied. "Too slow." If Zatopek was dumb enough to ask, he was dumb enough to deserve any answer he got thought Peters.
Zatopek was surprised. "You say too slow," he asked again. "Are you sure the pace is too slow?"
"Yes," Peters said. Then he got a surprise of his own.
"Okay. Thanks." Zatopek took Peters at his word, and took off.
Zatopek set a new record in his first try at the the Olympic marathon and had beat the record by more than six minutes! By the time the second runner crossed the finish line, reports say that Zatopek had already greeted his wife, changed clothes, and was halfway through eating an apple.
Zatopek was also famous for his contorted facial expression when running – as if he was being tortured. Asked about this, he once replied - "It is not gymnastics or ice skating, you know." And "I was not talented enough to run and smile at the same time." Haha… funny guy.
It is said that Zatopek was offered by the Soviet Union to be a sports ambassador when the Red Army invaded Czech, but since he was against their ideals, he declined even if he knew he would end up doing hard labor. He was assigned to work in an uranium mine.
Zatopek passed away at age 78 in Prague in 2000. He wasn’t only considered a hero to his countrymen but was highly admired by athletes worldwide for his humility and compassion. When he ran, not just the Czech, but people from different nations, cheered. One coach even posed the question – was Zatopek a great man who happened to run, or a great man because he ran? :)
