Today We Die a Little!: The Inimitable Emil Ztopek, the Greatest Olympic Runner of All Time [Hardcover]

We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to enjoy something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon. -- Emil Z??pek

For a decade after the Second World War, Emil Z??pek -- the Czech locomotive -- redefined the sport of distance running, pushing back the frontiers of what was considered possible. He won five Olympic medals, set eighteen world records, and went undefeated in the 10,000-metre race for six years. His dominance has never been equaled.

In the darkest days of the Cold War, he stood for a spirit of generous friendship that transcended nationality and politics. Z??pek was an energetic supporter of the Prague Spring in 1968, championing socialism with a human face in Czechoslovakia. But for this he paid a high price. After the uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks, the hardline Communists had their revenge. Z??pek was expelled from the army, stripped of his role in national sport, and condemned to years of hard and degrading manual labor.

Based on extensive research in the Czech Republic, interviews with people across the world who knew him, and unprecedented cooperation from his widow, fellow Olympian Dana Z??pkov??journalist Richard Askwith's book breathes new life into the man and the myth, uncovering a glorious age of athletics and an epoch-defining time in world history.Richard Askwithis a journalist for theIndependentand author of two books:Running FreeandFeet in the Clouds. The latter won Best New Writer at the British Sports Book Awards, was shortlisted for the William Hill Prize, and was named one of the three best running books of all time byRunner's World.
With humor, passion, and a touch of folly, the amazing Zátopek reminds us of the pain and the glory behind every victory and the power of sports to bring people together and make history.” —Martina Navratilova

“A powerful look at one of the greateslcŒ