Running with Pheidippides by Nick Tsiotos and Andy Dabilis

It is 1946. World War II is over. As the rest of Europe struggles to rebuild itself, Greece - which had bitterly resisted Nazi occupation - is ripped apart by civil war. Thousands are dead or dying of starvation. In the face of such epic disaster, one Greek athlete takes valiant action.

This is the true story of Stylianos Kyriakides, champion Greek runner who against all odds entered the 1946 Boston Marathon, a race he had lost eight years before. Now Kyriakides ran not just to win, but to wake the world to the plight of his people.

Drawing on interviews and unprecedented access to family photos and papers, the authors vividly chronicle the real-life drama of Kyriakides: a runner who raced not for gold or glory, but for the betterment of his people and the survival of his homeland.

From the shadowy Berlin Olympics to the dark days of Nazi Greece and its aftermath, Running with Pheidippides speaks vividly of war and deprivation, of athletic competition and camaraderie, of genuine valor in a world bereft of heroes. 
 

Hardcover, In English