The Irishman Who Ran for England

by Hogan, Jim

• ISBN13: 9781856079587
• ISBN10: 1856079589
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-15
• Publisher: Columba Pr

Summary

Nothing came easy for Jim Hogan. As a newborn baby he was given up for dead, only to be rescued by a visitor who declared, 'He may be nearly dead but he will be famous one day.' How prophetic that visitor was. Hogan came late to athletics but his career thereafter was a brilliant series of victories. Self-trained for many years, he reached the peak of his athletic career after moving to England in 1960. In highly unusual circumstances, Hogan won a gold medal in the marathon of the 1966 European Championships in Budapest, running in an English vest. Why the best Irish long-distance runner of his generation was obliged to declare for England is an extraordinary story. That he was successful in these circumstances added to the legend of the 'mad Irishman'.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 13
Prologue	p. 17
My Early Life	p. 25
Running Barefoot	p. 31
My Wife Mary	p. 35
The European Championships, Belgrade, 1962	p. 41
The Tokyo Olympics, 1964	p. 51
A Record-Breaking Year, 1965	p. 63
Marathon Gold: The European Championships, Budapest, 1966	p. 72
The Mexico Olympics, 1968	p. 86
After Mexico	p. 89
'We're Going to Go Home to Ireland'	p. 93
My Best Race	p. 99
The Toughest Athletes	p. 103
The Toughest Competitors	p. 105
'A Fearless Competitor': Athletes on Jim Hogan	p. 109
The Lonely Breed	p. 120
The Lonely Breed: 'A Runner and His Wife'	p. 123
Horses and Heroes	p. 139
Final Thoughts	p. 148
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