At Last He Comes: The Greatest Race in History

It is London 1908, and the huge crowds will not be seen again until London 2012.

But it has been a controversial and often unhappy Olympics, riven by American-British tensions.

The marathon has promised to rise above the ill-feeling.

It has taken on a life all of its own, and been hyped as the greatest long-distance race in the history of the world. And so it proves, as its climax goes beyond the hype, introducing quite unimaginable drama. and yet greater controversy.