The Final Race

Book excerpt: An award-winning biography of a man whose faith and resilience continues to inspire. On July 19, 1924, Eric Liddell was on top of the world. He was the most famous Briton at the time, having just won the gold in the Olympic 400-meter race. The story of that race―and the one he didn’t run―was told in the popular movie classic Chariots of Fire. But what most of us don’t know is what became of Eric Liddell in the years after the credits rolled. As the storm clouds of World War II rolled in, Eric had already made decisions in his life that gave him the resilience to stand tall while others fell into despair. His strength of character led him to choose an uncertain future in China during World War II in order to continue helping the Chinese. He lived purposefully even as his world crumbled and he experienced the horror and deprivations of a Japanese internment camp. Eric’s story is a story of hope in the face of uncertainty, resilience in the face of unspeakable odds, and inspiring vision of what life means, even when the final hour comes. The first race you run isn’t your most important one. It’s the final race that matters most. You won’t want to miss this story of an Olympian who chose the better way. The book was awarded the Kirkus Star, which placed it in the Best Books of 2018 according to Kirkus Reviews.