{"product_id":"today-we-die-a-little-the-inimitable-emil-zatopek-the-greatest-olympic-runner-of-all-time","title":"Today We Die a Little!: The Inimitable Emil Zátopek, the Greatest Olympic Runner of All Time","description":"\"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\n\nFor 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.\n\nIn 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.\n\nBased 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.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1568585497\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: DBV.1568585497.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Askwith, Richard\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41448631894074,"sku":"DBV.1568585497.G","price":10.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/6011\/0138\/files\/1568585497-0.jpg?v=1780860829","url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/today-we-die-a-little-the-inimitable-emil-zatopek-the-greatest-olympic-runner-of-all-time","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}