
Running For Their Lives
The Extraordinary Story of Britain's Greatest Ever Distance Runners
Mark Whitaker(Author)
Yellow Jersey Press
Published on 5. April 2012
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-0-224-08258-7 (ISBN)
Description
In 1928 two extraordinary Englishmen competed in an unprecedented and fearsome event - a transcontinental road race across America that required them to run an average of 40 miles for 80 consecutive days. They were to become the most famous long-distance runners in the world: yet history has forgotten them.
Peter Gavuzzi was a young working-class ship's steward, while Arthur Newton was a middle-aged intellectual who had taken up running to make a political point. Though separated by class, education and age, they became close friends and formed a successful business partnership as endurance athletes. They raced in 500-mile relays, in 24-hour events, in snowshoes and against horses; and they became the stars of a craze for endurance events that swept across depression-era North America. But as professional runners they were eschewed by the amateur running elite.
Set against a turbulent backdrop of 1920s South Africa, 1930s Canada, war-torn France and 1950s Britain, Running for Their Lives is a story peopled with remarkable characters, unimaginable feats and tragic twists of fate. More importantly it is a homage to two inspirational and eccentric men who only now receive the recognition they so richly deserve.
Peter Gavuzzi was a young working-class ship's steward, while Arthur Newton was a middle-aged intellectual who had taken up running to make a political point. Though separated by class, education and age, they became close friends and formed a successful business partnership as endurance athletes. They raced in 500-mile relays, in 24-hour events, in snowshoes and against horses; and they became the stars of a craze for endurance events that swept across depression-era North America. But as professional runners they were eschewed by the amateur running elite.
Set against a turbulent backdrop of 1920s South Africa, 1930s Canada, war-torn France and 1950s Britain, Running for Their Lives is a story peopled with remarkable characters, unimaginable feats and tragic twists of fate. More importantly it is a homage to two inspirational and eccentric men who only now receive the recognition they so richly deserve.
Reviews / Votes
A poignant account of unrecognized achievement... I shall find it hard to forget the two runners in vests and shorts who stand side by side on the dustjacket of this book -- Bryon Rogers * Spectator * Whitaker paints a compelling picture of a world in which the virtues of old-fashioned professionalism and decency overcome class and race barriers... Engaging, surprising and...affecting -- Alexander Larman * Observer * A timely reminder of the best that the sport can achieve * The Sunday Times * Well-researched and entertaining... Whitaker's real achievement is to resurrect for recognition the careers of two genuine, if peripatetic, British sporting heroes -- Michael Beloff * Times Literary Supplement * The author has done an excellent job in bringing [Newton and Gavuzzi] triumphantly alive from dusty archives with a narrative pace his subjects would surely have admired -- Simon Redfern * Independent on Sunday *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Illustrations
2 x 8pp insets
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
652 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-224-08258-7 (9780224082587)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Mark Whitaker is a broadcaster and historian. After a first career as an academic, during which he taught in both London and Tunis, he joined the BBC in 1990. He was a reporter for BBC2's sports documentary series On the Line, and from 1994 to 2002 was a regular presenter of File on 4 on Radio 4. He then became a founding partner of the independent production company Square Dog Radio, which is named after a beloved Bernese Mountain dog. To his great regret he recently had to give up playing cricket. He lives in the West Yorkshire hills with his family and their animals.