Читать книгу 26.2 - The Incredible True Story of the Three Men Who Shaped The London Marathon - John Bryant - Страница 4

From its mythical military origins in the small Greek town of Marathon approximately 2,500 years ago, the act of running a marathon has become a universal symbol of achievement and inspiration, and organised marathons – especially at Olympic Games and in major cities around the world – have become a pinnacle of personal achievement recognized and respected in countries and cultures around the world.

While major mass participation marathons are landmark events for athletes of all standards, attracting global TV coverage and international attention for cities hosting them and their participants, the development of the marathon as one of sport’s greatest attractions remains less well known – a situation which is skilfully addressed in this new book by former Fleet Street editor, author and sports enthusiast John Bryant.

In the finest traditions of Chariots of Fire, Bryant’s book vividly recreates one of the most dramatic days and events in sport – the 1908 Olympic Games Marathon in London, an epic contest which, along with the intense rivalries, idealism, controversies and spectacle of the Games shaped the evolution of modern sporting culture.

The book follows the fates of legendary runners Dorando Pietri from Italy and American Johnny Hayes, who took the emerging sport of competitive distance running to the extremes of human endurance, and so helped the marathon distance establish itself for ever in the popular imagination. They, along with the British sprinter Wyndham Halswelle, the embodiment of modern Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertins’s vision for sport as central to creating a fair society, helped to establish the unique aura of the Olympic Games as the world’s most important sporting, social and cultural event.

Bryant’s book is a timely tribute to the early Olympic athletes whose performances captured the imagination of the world and laid the foundations for the Games to flourish, and provides a compelling reminder to all Olympic and Paralympic organisers of the power of the Games to inspire and change lives. This is the central focus of the London 2012 Games, which will build on the bravery, courage and efforts of the athletes and organisers of the 1908 London Olympic Games so well documented in the following pages in ways that will inspire future generations.

Seb Coe

Chairman, London 2012 Games