by Rob Hadgraft (2011) 234x156 mm
paperback
272 pages
ISBN 978-1-905328-96-3
£14.99
NOW AVAILABLE FOR AMAZON KINDLE
Plimsolls
On, Eyeballs Out: The Rise and Horrendous Fall of Marathon Legend
Jim Peters (Kindle edition UK)
Plimsolls On,
Eyeballs Out: The Rise and Horrendous Fall of Marathon Legend
Jim Peters (Kindle edition USA)
Plimsolls
On, Eyeballs Out: The Rise and Horrendous Fall of Marathon Legend
Jim Peters (Kindle edition Euro)
In the early 1950s Jim Peters single-handedly
turned marathon running into a high-speed race against the clock,
repeatedly smashing world records in his Woolworths plimsolls.
For decades, marathons were the preserve of elderly plodders who
trained and raced slowly and steadily, believing it to be the
only path to success. Peters blasted such theories out of the
water.
He came late to the marathon, having been humiliated into track
retirement by the great Zatopek at the 1948 London Olympics. Peters'
comeback involved training of unprecedented intensity - 'I bashed
it night after night' - and his 1951 debut sparked a series of
glorious world bests.
Peters was no stylist, lacked tactical nous, ignored conventional
wisdom and ran 'ugly'. But guts and sheer bloody-mindedness saw
him grind out victories, no matter how harsh the conditions. Then,
just as he was being described as indestructible, his world came
crashing down.
In a Vancouver heatwave Peters paid dearly for his policy of running
'eyeballs out' every time. What happened at the 1954 Empire Games
'made women weep and grown men lose their lunch'. Peters' rise
had been astonishing, but his fall was horrific. This is his story.