Awards

• Commended for Independent Publisher Book Awards (Sports/Recreation) 2012

Overview

At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics an unknown Vancouver runner named Percy Williams shocked the sports world by capturing the 100- and 200-metre gold medals. Some said the feat was a fluke. It was not. In 1929 Percy silenced naysayers by sweeping the US indoor track circuit, then he went on to set a world record in the 100 meters that would stand until the arrival of Jesse Owens. And in between he waged a speed duel with the fleetest men on the planet, a battle for track supremacy and the title ""World's Fastest Human"". Based on extensive research that included access to Percy's private letters, diary and scrapbooks, this is the first full-length account of this sports legend, one of the most famous Canadians of his day but now largely forgotten. It begins as the Cinderella story of a youth who conquers a sport dominated by American sprinters. Then it gets grittier, for success and fame had a dark side. I Just Ran follows Percy and his janitor-coach Bob Granger as they journey through the world of elite running in the 1920s and 30s -- a world that was not always pretty beneath the veneer of amateurism.

Full Product Details

9781553801269

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Samuel Hawley is a Kingston-based historian, writer and former teacher. His books include Speed Duel: The Inside Story of the Land Speed Record in the Sixties, The Imjin War: Japan's Sixteenth-Century Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China, and America's Man in Korea.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available