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The Marathon Makers
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The Marathon Makers
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The Marathon Makers
Ebook347 pages4 hours

The Marathon Makers

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About this ebook

At the 1908 Summer Olympics, one of the contenders in the marathon was the diminutive Italian Dorando Pietri. After leading the pack at a grueling pace, Pietri staggered into the stadium, turned the wrong direction, and fell five times, after which two officials took him by the arms and brought him across the finish line. The American team lodged a complaint, and as a consequence, Pietri was disqualified and his first place medal went to the American Johnny Hayes. But the glory went to Pietri, who eventually became an international celebrity and received a silvered cup from Queen Alexandria for his efforts. After the race, Hayes and a Scottish sprinter, Wyndham Halswelle, were dragged into a dispute surrounding the race’s official outcome, and a fierce war over sporting superiority between the United States and the British Empire resulted. The battle rapidly spilled over into politics and ethics, with allegations of cheating, drug-taking, and unprofessionalism levied by both nations. Bestselling author John Bryant delves into the lives of these three extraordinary men in a tale that stretches from rural Italy to Ellis Island, Broadway and beyond and explores the foundations of the modern sporting and marathon movements.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherJohn Blake
Release dateJun 1, 2009
ISBN9781843582281
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The Marathon Makers
Author

John Bryant

John Bryant became addicted to motorcycles at 15 after bolting an old motorised wheelchair engine to his push bike. Nearly half a century later he has owned them all: mopeds, scooters, dirt bikes, sports rockets, cruisers, and tourers. His two-wheeled adventures have led him into the volcanoes of NZ, across the prairies and deserts of USA, and around a lot of Oz. John started Australia’s first motorcycle wedding escort service by importing six the world’s biggest road bikes, dressing his riders in tux jackets, bow ties and white gauntlets. After surviving several wipeouts, he is now growing old disgracefully on two wheels.

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