Some of you may know I am a bibliophile of the first order and thus I am constantly on the lookout for new books that relate to one of my many interests. I came across a relatively new (2008) book about Abebe Bikila called Barefoot Runner by Paul Rambali that focused on the marathon great at the local library. For those of you who don't know, Bikila was the first African to win an Olympic Gold Medal---and might have been the first African to win any type of medal for that matter. Furthermore, he won back to back Olympic Gold medals in the marathon in the 1960 Rome Olympics as well as the 1964 Tokyo Games---a feat that had never been accomplished since the Games revival in 1896 up to that point.
I didn't really know what to expect when I began reading the book and quickly discovered it was a fictional account of both Abebe's life as well as that of his Finnish coach with quite a bit of intrigue surrounding Abebe's position with the Ethiopian Imperial Guard thrown in for good measure which was his nominal "job" when he wasn't training. All in all an insightful book that gives you a wide angle lens type of view of the type of environment Bikila was dealing with in his rise to Olympic glory.
Unfortunately, I don't think the writer has a running background and thus gives scant attention to the training regiment that Bikila followed to transform himself from mediocre to a world leading marathoner in a few short years. I can't really recommend it as a good read since the author made up the dialogue and weaved it together within the confines of certain historical events of record. Plus, it really gives the impression that Abebe was a child like figure who simply did as he was told and all but negates the tremendous amount of will power any true runner knows must exist within one's mind to achieve the type of success Bikila enjoyed.
I first became aware of Abebe Bikila as part of a series put together by Bud Greenspan regarding Olympic greats in various sports in which he was prominently featured when I was in high school. Unfortunately, I looked on youtube for the series but couldn't find the section on Abebe. I also learned that Greenspan put together another documentary in 1971 called "The Ethiopians" which focused on their marathon running prowess in which Abebe was obviously the most prominent example at the time though Abebe's teammate Mamo Wolde also won the 1968 Olympic marathon. If anyone knows how to access a copy of "The Ethiopians" online or otherwise, let me know because I would love to see it.
However, in my search I did come across some amazing footage from the 1964 Olympic marathon, though the commentary is in Italian, it is still worth a view. Along with seeing some great runners like Ron Clarke and Billy Mills competing in the marathon, the footage includes many of the athletes stopping at an aid station, an Irish athlete walking(!) during the race, plus another who collapsed and had to be transported to a local hospital along with Abebe pulling away near the conclusion of the contest. It really is amazing how much the sport has changed since the mid 1960's since it is clear many of these athletes, the best in the world at the time, were rather cavalier in their race tactics and/or training that led to several blowing up during a marathon. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajGwbZpO1_E
Four years ealier Abebe burst onto the international stage with an unexpected win at the 1960 Games. Amazingly, up until right before the Ethiopian athletes were preparing to depart for Rome Bikila wasn't even on the team---he was a last minute replacement for Wami Biratu who broke his ankle playing soccer! The footage of Abebe running in 1960 is famous because he opted to compete barefoot due to the shoes he was given being ill fitting. Talk about making the most of your opportunity.
David Maraniss discussed Abebe's accomplishments and his inclusion in the author's book regarding how the 1960 Olympics changed the world; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFXN_iRJ2w
I didn't really know what to expect when I began reading the book and quickly discovered it was a fictional account of both Abebe's life as well as that of his Finnish coach with quite a bit of intrigue surrounding Abebe's position with the Ethiopian Imperial Guard thrown in for good measure which was his nominal "job" when he wasn't training. All in all an insightful book that gives you a wide angle lens type of view of the type of environment Bikila was dealing with in his rise to Olympic glory.
Unfortunately, I don't think the writer has a running background and thus gives scant attention to the training regiment that Bikila followed to transform himself from mediocre to a world leading marathoner in a few short years. I can't really recommend it as a good read since the author made up the dialogue and weaved it together within the confines of certain historical events of record. Plus, it really gives the impression that Abebe was a child like figure who simply did as he was told and all but negates the tremendous amount of will power any true runner knows must exist within one's mind to achieve the type of success Bikila enjoyed.
I first became aware of Abebe Bikila as part of a series put together by Bud Greenspan regarding Olympic greats in various sports in which he was prominently featured when I was in high school. Unfortunately, I looked on youtube for the series but couldn't find the section on Abebe. I also learned that Greenspan put together another documentary in 1971 called "The Ethiopians" which focused on their marathon running prowess in which Abebe was obviously the most prominent example at the time though Abebe's teammate Mamo Wolde also won the 1968 Olympic marathon. If anyone knows how to access a copy of "The Ethiopians" online or otherwise, let me know because I would love to see it.
However, in my search I did come across some amazing footage from the 1964 Olympic marathon, though the commentary is in Italian, it is still worth a view. Along with seeing some great runners like Ron Clarke and Billy Mills competing in the marathon, the footage includes many of the athletes stopping at an aid station, an Irish athlete walking(!) during the race, plus another who collapsed and had to be transported to a local hospital along with Abebe pulling away near the conclusion of the contest. It really is amazing how much the sport has changed since the mid 1960's since it is clear many of these athletes, the best in the world at the time, were rather cavalier in their race tactics and/or training that led to several blowing up during a marathon. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajGwbZpO1_E
Four years ealier Abebe burst onto the international stage with an unexpected win at the 1960 Games. Amazingly, up until right before the Ethiopian athletes were preparing to depart for Rome Bikila wasn't even on the team---he was a last minute replacement for Wami Biratu who broke his ankle playing soccer! The footage of Abebe running in 1960 is famous because he opted to compete barefoot due to the shoes he was given being ill fitting. Talk about making the most of your opportunity.
David Maraniss discussed Abebe's accomplishments and his inclusion in the author's book regarding how the 1960 Olympics changed the world; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFXN_iRJ2w
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