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Voted the Greatest Runner of All Time by Runner's World in 2013, Emil Ztopek redefined modern running training techniques--with remarkable results. He is famed for setting a raft of world records and winning the Olympic ten thousand meters in London in 1948, followed by the remarkable and unprecedented wins of the five thousand meters, ten thousand meters, and marathon four years later in Helsinki. His story, however, goes way beyond races and results. From a lowly factory worker, "the Czech Locomotive" became a global hero. But at a time of political instability Ztopek risked everything for the love of his friends and country and soon found himself cast adrift into political exile. At its heart, this is a love story, as Emil courts and marries Dana, a promising javelin thrower.