Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973) was one of the greatest distance runners of all time. Known as "The Flying Finn" and "The King of Runners," he dominated long-distance running throughout the early part of the twentieth century, setting 25 world records at distances from 1,500 meters to 20,000 meters and winning nine gold and three silver medals at three Olympic Games from 1920 through 1928.

Born on July 13, 1897 in Turku, a port town on the southwest coast of Finland, Nurmi was the son of a carpenter and began running through the Finnish forests when he was nine. He later claimed that he grew up eating black bread and dried fish. If he did, this meager diet made him a champion. His father died in 1910 and Nurmi finished his schooling with an average of 9.38 out of a possible 10. He worked on docks and was a filer in an engineering shop for the next four years.

Nurmi...