{"product_id":"today-we-die-a-little-the-inimitable-emil-ztopek-the-greatest-olympic-runner-of-all-time","title":"Today We Die a Little!: The Inimitable Emil Ztopek  the Greatest Olympic Runner of All Time","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"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 Zpek  For a decade after the Second World War  Emil Zpek -- \"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. Zpek 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. Zpek 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 Zpkovjournalist Richard Askwiths book breathes new life into the man and the myth  uncovering a glorious age of athletics and an epoch-defining time in world history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44945854627893,"sku":"ByrdShop_1568585497","price":33.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781568585499_ac418ca4-6e70-4b5c-958c-0a85cf75cccf.jpg?v=1770163418","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/today-we-die-a-little-the-inimitable-emil-ztopek-the-greatest-olympic-runner-of-all-time","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}