Endurance: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Emil Zátopek (Wisden Sports Writing) Hardcover – May 24, 2016

Athlete's life story shows a great, probably greatest runner of all time. He changed the sport forever. If he was a US or English athlete we would know about him!

Great read about one of the world's greatest athletes EVER!

Zatopek was a runner above all else - in very difficult times. I had no idea, compelling story and easy read.

I have rarely read a book, where the author writes as complicated as Mr. Broadbent........I loved the Emil Zatopek story, but you need ENDURANCE to work your way through it...../

excellent biography

This Book is very interesting

Over the years I have read 3 books about the great Czech distance runner Emil Zátopek: Zatopek the Marathon Victor, Za-to-pek! Za-to-pek! Za-to-pek!: The Life and Times of the World's Greatest Distance Runner, and Running. The first was a communist hagiography written in 1954, the second focussed purely on his running achievements, and the third was a novel. I wondered whether there would ever be a real and careful biography written about the man. I was especially interested in how Zátopek had navigated the political challenges of communism, but this was never addressed. Then, low and behold, on the very same day, May 24, 2016, two biographies of the man were published! I was given both as gifts, and I'll read the other one Today We Die a Little!: The Inimitable Emil Zátopek, the Greatest Olympic Runner of All Time eventually.I enjoyed reading this, and it did give insight into the political challenges of his life and how he dealt with them. The author was able to interview a number of people who knew him, including his wife. The book was pretty well-written, but could have used a careful proof-reading. In discussing the ideological situation in the punishment mines, the author warns that (p. 149) "Don't mention religion, because the worst crime of Communism was atheism." I think he must have meant THEISM. And then there was the race (p. 211) that was especially hot: "85 degrees C"!! (=185 degrees F) Granted, that's hot!I highly recommend this book, and in due course I'll compare it to the other new biography.I discovered both these books in a September issue of London Review of Books, where they were both "reviewed." But the indulgent review told us all about Zatopek's achievements and nothing about the details of these books, or their comparative merits.

I was excited about reading this book as Zatopek is someone who has fascinated me. The book is meticulously researched and the level of detail particularly of Zatopek's upbringing and his rise to stardom is impressive. However, I found reading through this to be hard going and a real chore if I am honest. In a way, I find this hard to say as I normally love this style of book. Perhaps if you were alive at the time when Zatopek ran, then it might come more to life for you, but I just found I couldn't get into it. In the end, I skimmed through the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the book just to get it finished as I knew I would never come back to it. I did find the last section about his post-running life to be surprisingly brief given some of the highlights that were presented; this sounded like a particularly interesting time but perhaps the author could not get sufficient detail on this. Who knows.So in summary, probably 4/5 for the research and level of detail, but only 2/5 for readability.

This is a great story of an outstanding athlete Emil Zatopek (probably the greatest ever) that covers his athletic career, including his great races at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics and the European Championships of 1950 and 1954 plus more. The book is, sort of, in two halves - his athletics career and his years in the political and social wilderness under the communists and his subsequent rehabilitation when communism finally collapses.His feat of winning the 5000m, 10000m and Marathon is never likely to be repeated and is described in detail. There are mini biographies of the other great rivals of the time most notably, Chris Chataway, Gordon Pirie, Vladimir Kuts, Jim Peters and Alain Mimoun, invoking the atmosphere of the period..In the intervening years after his retirement for running the communist government of Czechoslovakia treated him appallingly - this was the great Zatopek after all - and it says much about the indomitable spirit of the man that he came through these dark days and remained Zatopek - the man - the athlete - the world star.

Set in what many feel was the golden age of running, and against a backdrop of the Cold War and rising communism, this is a brilliantly evocative tale of perhaps the greatest runner to have ever dignified a race.Even if you don’t like running, athletics or sport, this is an amazing read of an incredible man, whose world is full of drama, exhilaration, betrayal, love, political intrigue and, above all, a zest for life.Emil Zátopek may not be a name known in every household, but this book should be.Endurance is a cracking story, supremely well written and brought skilfully to life.

Brilliant read. 10/10 . If you enjoy reading books about old school sporting legends this book is for you. I do run a few 5k and 10k races per year and I got some good training tips. Emil was years ahead of any other coach and runner of his generation. It's a good little history lesson too.

Surprisingly poorly written. But fascinating subject

Really enjoyable story. Would highly recommend it to anyone interested in running and reading about sporting giants of the past. It's inspiring stuff!

Awesome runner. The best ever, 5K, 10K and Marathon golds...at the same Olympics....what a man...without equal.

Some difficulty in choosing right book but ultimately bought two titles

A fascinating read. Broadbent really captures the style of the times and the brutality of a Communist regime told in a wonderful monologue. Throughly recommended.

Excellent book!

Have enjoyed reading about this fabulous athlete.

Great name from the past and very informative book.

excellent.

Excellent.

Good quality copy.