Traces the history of track and field, providing information on the sport's rules, key figures, events, and philosophy.

Foreword -- Introduction: Purest of sport -- Olympics: Birth and rebirth of track and field -- Evolution of track and field -- Breaking the gender barrier -- Political burden of track and field -- Cheating: Bane of track and field -- Stars of track and field -- Awards and statistics -- Notes -- Further reading -- Works consulted -- Index -- Picture credits -- About the author.