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Today We Die a Little!: The Inimitable Emil Zátopek, the Greatest Olympic Runner of All Time Hardcover – May 24, 2016

by Richard Askwith (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 670 ratings
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"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 Zápek

For a decade after the Second World War, Emil Zápek -- "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. Zápek 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. Zápek 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 Zápkovájournalist 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.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    496 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bold Type Books
  4. Publication date
    May 24, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1568585497
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1568585499
  8. See all details
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  1. ‘What you do when the stadium is full is important,’ he said. ‘But what you do when the stadium is empty is a thousand times more important.’
    Highlighted by 107 Kindle readers
  2. The greatness lies in the split-second decision to fight back. The rest of us would be starting to think of excuses, of damage limitation; perhaps even of coming to terms with defeat. The champion seeks a new route to victory.
    Highlighted by 75 Kindle readers
  3. ‘If you want to enjoy something,’ he said later, ‘run 100 metres.235 If you want to experience something, run a marathon.’
    Highlighted by 71 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Review


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 greatest Olympic champions of all time. When I met Zátopek at the New York Marathon, he was friendly, full of energy, and curious—just as he comes across in these riveting pages. Learning more about his personal life and the unique challenges he faced during the Cold War as a Czech athlete, was fascinating. He had a great heart—he was not just an iconic athlete; he was a peacemaker.” — Bill Rodgers, Olympic runner and four-time winner of the New York and Boston Marathons

"A wonderfully in-depth and often emotionally charged piece of writing." — Athletics Weekly

"An astonishing achievement... There are few writers as adept at capturing so lyrically the utter and incomprehensible strangeness of distance running... A joy to read."
— Literary Review

"Before Mo Farah and Paula Radcliffe, there was Emil Zátopek - a Czechoslovakian soldier turned long-distance runner turned Cold War victim. His four Olympic golds, 18 world records and Communist party career are all laid bare in this definitive account."— Shortlist

About the Author

Richard Askwith is a journalist for the Independent and author of two books: Running Free and Feet 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 by Runner's World.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bold Type Books; First Us edition (May 24, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1568585497
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1568585499
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 670 ratings

About the author

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Richard Askwith

Richard Askwith

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Richard Askwith is a mostly unremarkable middle-aged Englishman with some strong passions, including running, freedom, the countryside and writing.

His books tend to have sporting themes. For example: his cult book about fell-running, FEET IN THE CLOUDS (2004), which won him the Best New Writer prize at the British Sports Publishing Awards and was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award; or his 2019 book, UNBREAKABLE: THE COUNTESS, THE NAZIS AND THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS HORSE-RACE, which won Biography of the Year at the 2020 Telegraph Sports Book Awards. Both books are being developed as films.

Richard's acclaimed 2016 book, TODAY WE DIE A LITTLE, is the definitive biography of Emil Zátopek, Olympic legend, Cold War hero and, many believe, the greatest runner of all time. It was shortlisted for the Cross Sports Book Awards. Two years earlier, RUNNING FREE: A RUNNER'S JOURNEY BACK TO NATURE (2014) was short-listed for the Thwaites Wainwright Prize.

Richard's latest book, THE RACE AGAINST TIME, describes an unexpectedly inspiring journey of discovery: a search for the secrets of happy, healthy, whole-life running. Published on 12 January 2023, it mixes science, reportage, interview, memoir and reckless participation to show how runners don’t have to lose hope just because age is eroding their powers. Richard, who is in his early sixties, considers himself reborn as a runner as a result of the experiences that went into this book, and he hopes that others will find his subject matter equally rejuvenating.

Richard's other books include THE LOST VILLAGE: IN SEARCH OF A FORGOTTEN RURAL ENGLAND (2008; named Non-Fiction Book of the Year in the 2009 Saga Grown-Up Awards); and PEOPLE POWER: REMAKING PARLIAMENT FOR THE POPULIST AGE (2018), a short, radical proposal (part of Biteback's "Provocations" series) for reforming British politics.

He is also co-author of LET IT GO (2012 & 2019), Dame Stephanie Shirley's inspiring account of her life as a champion of women's rights and philanthropy. And he has edited several books - including the acclaimed A HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR IN 100 MOMENTS (2014) - for The Independent, where he worked from 1993 to 2016 in a number of senior roles including Executive Editor and Associate Editor.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
670 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Andrew Desmond
5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Athlete and Human
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2023
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It’s a great shame that there may be few people in the modern world who are familiar with the name of Emil Zatopek. The man was a truly remarkable athlete. He was also a remarkable human. His story deserves to be widely told and remembered.

Shortly after the Second World War, he was the world’s most renowned athlete. He won the 10,000 metre gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics and was just pipped for the same medal in the 5,000 metres. He followed this up in Helsinki in 1952 by winning the 5,000, 10,000 and marathon treble. This had never been achieved before in Olympic history. It was also Zatopek’s very first marathon race!

Zatopek continued competing in the Melbourne Olympics of 1956. However, he was past his best and failed to place in the marathon. It was here that the book’s title, “Today We Die a Little”, had its genesis. While lining up at the start of the marathon on a fiercely hot day in December, Zatopek joked with his fellow competitors about what was about to happen; namely, “gentlemen, today we die a little”. Arguably, he was correct. He was certainly speaking from experience.

Richard Askwith’s book is a delight to read. It is full of wonderful anecdotes about Zatopek. My favourite is that when Ron Clarke, who held very world distance record after Zatopek’s retirement, visited the great man in Prague, he was presented with a small gift. Upon opening the package a few hours later after having left Prague, he was staggered to find one of Zatopek’s gold medals. Zatopek has written that “you deserve it”. Such behaviour reveals so much about what a generous spirit lived within Zatopek.

“Today We Die a Little” is not just a book for the armchair athlete. It’s a beautiful biography of an extraordinary man.

Highly recommended.
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A Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! "Pain is a merciful thing - if it lasts without interruption, it dulls itself."
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2019
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Today We Die a Little by Richard Askwith is the biography of Emil Zatopek. The book is subtitled The Greatest Olympic Runner of All Time, which is conveniently a good synopsis of its contents.

Emil Zatopek raced at his peak in the decade after the second World War. Among many world records and victories, winning three gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics was perhaps the most notable feat. Emil won gold in the Olympic 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and Marathon (his first marathon ever run) — an impressive accomplishment of running depth that will likely never be repeated in the modern era.

As usual, there are many ways to read this book. It is a great biography of a legendary runner. It is a history of communism and the Eastern European sporting machine after World War II. It is also a great book about running training techniques.

The theme I eventually extracted from the book centers on a quotation from Emil.

Pain is a merciful thing – if it lasts without interruption, it dulls itself. – Emil Zatopek

That’s quite a quotation.

Intuition is that at the onset of pain, you should stop or slow down. Emil, in this quotation, suggests another option — keep going, perhaps even go harder.

How this matters in Running

There is nothing complicated about running. The gear is simple. The venue is simple. The rules are simple. Yet, some people elevate this activity to sport. A rarefied few to a pathway through life.

How do those few do it? There are countless stories of hard-work trumping talent. Emil (although talented) arguably began the era of real hard-work in running. His novel and brutal training tactics — well detailed in this book — created a clear separation from his rivals.

What is the purpose of this hard-work in training? Of course, it conditions the body to endure greater stress, pushing back the perceived envelope of where pain begins.

But, what-if, there is something more that Emil discovered?

Consistent hard-work creates many moments where a runner must face pain or discomfort. In those moments, a runner can learn what happens if he/she continues or stops. Then, when it matters, a runner’s familiarity with pain merely becomes another competitor in the race to be beaten or paced against.

How this matters in Life

The final chapters of this book cover Emil’s post-running political career as an active government employee and private citizen. He was a pro-socialist revolutionary during Soviet-era communism in Czechoslovakia. A lot is covered, but, in the end, it does not turn out well for Emil. He is effectively exiled from his family, friends, and countrymen for over a decade working hard labor in the remote parts of the country. It is worth reading the book just to understand how frightening and totalitarian communism was to its citizens throughout the twentieth century. This is a tough situation for any man to face. But, Emil survived.

The fall from greatness would seemingly crush most. Emil certainly seemed to have bent, but he did not break. Perhaps, it takes having climbed to greatness to survive such a fall. To succeed in running, Emil had learned about hard-work and enduring pain. How to keep going when things got tough. How any uncomfortable situation in life can eventually become manageable if you just keep going.

I do not know if I could have survived what Emil went through. No one really does until they are put into that situation.

However, on a smaller scale, sometimes the daily routine of running or life is draining. Even the prospect of a future race or near-term goal can lack motivation in those times. On those days, maybe it is worth re-framing why you train or even just get up everyday. As Emil learned, maybe it is about learning how to endure when pain arises — to keep going instead of stopping — no matter where it appears in life.

Running is a simple activity. You can only cross the finish line if you do not stop.
11 people found this helpful
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mark e billett
4.0 out of 5 stars very enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2023
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I was quite sure I would like it.....have been a runner for over 50 years, plus I like reading stories in the 1940s & 50s. So many people had such a hard life, and Emil Zatopek was an amazing tough dude.
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Barbara Jo Nally
5.0 out of 5 stars Quality of book
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024
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Book delivered on time and in good shape.
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Top reviews from other countries

J D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Zatopek the greatest
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2024
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Really enjoyed reading about a truly inspirational athlete and a human being who is rightly remembered as one of the greatest both on and off the track
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Miguel Angel Suarez
5.0 out of 5 stars Great runnings history book
Reviewed in Mexico on May 31, 2019
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It's a wonderful book. Full of details! You need to read this book for sure!
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ade
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! you don't need to be a runner to read it
Reviewed in France on July 17, 2019
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I do not often write review of books that I have read but
Today We Die a Little: Emil Zátopek, Olympic Legend to Cold War Hero
deserves a few words,
The life of Emil Zátopek is a story of running, politics history, self-motivation, humour friendship and a lot more.
The book has been extremely well researched and is presented in a way that allow you to really understand who Emile really was and how against all odds he became one of the world’s greatest runners.
Richard Askwith, presents the facts and comments on the reliability of certain details that may have been distorted for various reasons.
Great book read it
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Every runner/jogger should read this
Reviewed in Canada on February 2, 2017
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Great book!
Every runner/jogger should read this.
And especially if you are from Czechoslovakia.
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SSP
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding story of a legend
Reviewed in India on September 28, 2016
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Outstanding story of a legend. Very inspirational, not only because the incredible achievements and training methods, but also for showing one can be a good human being even as one aims to excel.
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