Today We Die a Little: Emil Zátopek, Olympic Legend to Cold War Hero

It’s not often that a book makes me cry both in its opening chapters and then in its final one, but Today We Die A Little is one such book. Having read his remarkable Feet in the Clouds many years ago – a book that stayed with me long after I’d finished it - I had been meaning to read Richard Askwith’s third running book for ages and finally found the time after I’d interviewed Richard for a Runner’s World feature on the agony and ecstasy of marathon running. With the deft storytelling ability of a seasoned newspaper journalist, Richard takes us from the tense moment when Emil Zatopek almost missed competing in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games where he later went on to win three gold medals (Emil refused to do so as his team-mate, Stanislav Jungwirth, had been barred from competing as his father had been imprisoned for political offences) to Emil’s grave in Moravia, where some of his ashes are buried. It’s a gripping story that is about so much more than someone who won five Olympic medals and set 18 world records and who was notorious for the brutal training regime he put himself through. Of course there’s much we can learn from his eyeballs-out training, but what I loved reading about most was Emil’s humanity: the way he loved chatting to fellow competitors (much like I do!), gave encouragement and training tips to anyone who asked, and even named all the appliances in his house. Richard was fortunate to be able to interview Emil’s widow Dana, herself a two-time Olympic medallist, meaning this book is a very intimate portrait of a remarkable and highly principled man. Richard’s love of running – and his subject – shines through on every page (if you have any doubt about the huge amount of effort that was poured into this book, see the 63 pages of notes detailing Richard’s sources at the end), and I was truly sorry when this book came to an end. Today We Die A Little will make you laugh at Emil’s cheeky antics, cry at the brutal way he was treated by the Communist regime (he was exiled and lived apart from his wife while working as part of a drilling team for several years) and rejoice when he was finally given the recognition he deserved. A love letter to our sport and Emil’s achievements and personality and the deep affection he had for his wife, this book truly is a fitting tribute to one of running’s brightest stars. Thank you Richard for pouring your heart and soul into telling this tale with such compassion and dedication.

Zatopek was inspirational athlete and human being. Askwith tells his story with skill, sincerity and humour. Engaging he reader throughout, Askwuth captures the essence of what exactly made Zatopek one of the greatest of all time. Thoroughly recommend.

Best sports biography ever🏃🏾‍♂️‍➡️🏆

A well-written and totally engaging book about a real running hero who was also a man of honour. The author has managed to accumulate a wealth of anecdotes from people who were lucky to have known Zatopek both in his prime and in his twilight years including Zatopek's wife Dana. The book is not a one-dimensional account of hero-worship. It also discusses Zatopek's foibles and the ambiguity of Zatopek's view of the communist regime of the time. I own a copy of Stampfl's book on running. This is where I first read about Zatopek. Even though I was only a 12 year old 100 metre sprinter at the time competing for my school, nevertheless I found the tales of Zatopek very inspiring. In an age where athletes wear aerodynamic clothing, custom-made running shoes and have physiotherapists, nutritionists and masseurs, it's refreshing to read about someone who carried out training runs in deep snow and sometimes ran in combat boots. I defy anyone who reads this book not to enjoy it. Before now, I'd never read anything by Mr. Askwith, however on the strength of this particular book, I will definitely be searching out his other books on running.

such an interesting read, the book highlights the life of a man who was perhaps the greatest runner of all time (certainly his generation) and one who so few people know about

Well researched book about the greatest runner of all time. But disappointed, bogged down by to much emphasis on politics, could have been cut by at least 100 pages, it's like most books written today authors just write to many pages, to spin the book out to 400+ pages, and wobble on about unimportant facts or family history.

What a great book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down. Documents Emil’s meteoric rise as a distance runner, the climax being his triple gold medal winning haul at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Only downside was the final chapter, which covers the later years of Emils life which I felt went in to unnecessary detail about his deteriorating health.

Quite possibly the best running book I've ready. Primarily down to the exquisite care that Richard has taken to research and underpin every fact, but also the way that he has intertwined personal opinion with carefully selected quotes from other commentators, and those aforementioned facts. I am interested in Richard's opinion, as he took a year to research the book, spoke to everyone who had been close to Zatopek who was still alive in 2015, and has clearly done a lot of thinking. My ONLY criticism is that the "Epilogue: Gold dust" is a little rambling and self indulgent, but it's not enough of a problem to prevent this book being a sure fire 5 star read. The best accolade: I wasn't a Zatopek fan before I read this book, but I am now!

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

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.

Great book! Every runner/jogger should read this. And especially if you are from Czechoslovakia.

It's a wonderful book. Full of details! You need to read this book for sure!

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.