The Impossible Hero

Gordon Pirie was one of the best-known sports personalities of his day. During the 1950s his races against Zatopek and Kuts captured the imagination of millions. Crowds flocked to the White City stadium to see him run. With Bannister, Chataway and others Pirie led a revival in British athletics. He inspired generations of young athletes, first as a runner and later as a coach. At the time, the records he set, and the training he did, seemed little short of impossible. Pirie was a pioneer in taking British sport out of its amateur and part-time traditions. Single-mindedness and courage helped him to set new standards in sport and win the admiration of the public; this approach also led him into conflicts with the world. His determination to speak his mind produced fierce battles with authority and the uncompromising spirit, which helped him achieve so much on the track, brought problems off it. The disappointments of his later years contrasted sharply with the triumphs of his youth. Dick Booth has talked to family, friends and fellow runners around the world. This biography, with its many photographs from across the years, is a vivid and moving story of one of Britain's best loved and controversial sportsmen.