Running with Fire : the True Story of Chariots of Fire Hero Harold Abrahams

Immortalised in the film Chariots of Fire, Harold Abrahams remains one of the all-time great British Olympians, but in many ways his true story is even more dramatic and moving than as portrayed on the big screen. Now, in this powerful and painstakingly researched biography, Mark Ryan vividly recounts the sprinter’s struggles and triumphs, his private heartbreaks and his drive to win. He shows Abrahams’ courage in the face of intense competition and prejudice, culminating in the BBC’s extreme reluctance to send him – a Jew – as commentator to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin for fear of offending Hitler. Running with Fire also reveals for the first time how Abrahams and fierce rival Eric Liddell were actually highly critical of each other’s running style, and uncovers the key role Abrahams played in Roger Bannister’s historic four-minute mile.