This is the thrilling account of heroism, ambition and scandal of three remarkable men whose actions at the 1908 Olympics overshadowed the first London Olympic Games…. A diminutive Italian, Dorando Pietri, who fell five times, and was practically carried across the finish line. Scottish sprinter, Wyndham Halswelle and American competitor, Johnny Hayes who were drawn into a dispute between the United States and the British Empire about sporting superiority which spilled over into politics, lifestyle and ethics, with allegations of cheating, drug-taking and professionalism. John Bryant delves into the lives of these three extraordinary men in a tale that stretches from rural Italy to the battlefields of the Boer War and beyond to explore the foundations of the modern sporting and marathon movement.