Bikila runs barefoot

Abebe Bikila is a last-minute addition to Ethiopia’s team. His shoes do not fit. He runs the marathon barefoot, past the ruins, and wins in world-best time. It is the first Olympic gold for a sub-Saharan African.

He will win again in Tokyo, in shoes. The barefoot race is the image. Distance running’s center of gravity starts to move east and south. Kenya and Ethiopia will make the marathon a different sport.

Rome wanted a classical backdrop. Bikila used it as a course. The empire’s road, a man from Addis, no shoes, a record. The picture still outruns the splits.