The Last Race

On the life and death of Eric Liddell

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Most people hear the name “Eric Liddell” and think Chariots of Fire, the much-loved film about his iconic Olympic victory in Paris (100 years ago this year). Perhaps the most quoted lined in Colin Welland’s script comes from a conversation that probably never happened, in which Eric gently explains to his sister Jenny why he’s compelled to pursue running. She’s concerned that he’s becoming distracted from more pious pursuits, as the son of a missionary who’s made promises to carry on his father’s work. He assures her that he still believes “God made me for a purpose—for China.” But God “also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

The payoff of the line is of course what people remember, reinforced in a powerful callback over the climactic race. The phrase “for China” is clipped out there, because it would throw off the pacing in the urgent drive towards “He also made me fast.” This reflects the whole film in microcosm, singularly focused on the most memorable, most filmic moment of Eric Liddell’s remarkable life. Yet a whole other film could be devoted to the life Liddell lived after the games, after the glory, in the harsh land he believed God had made him to serve.

Duncan Hamilton’s excellent biography For the Glory paints a vivid picture of what Liddell walked away from. As both an athlete and a gifted preacher, he had limitless career options. He could have written a book, become a columnist, become a business figurehead. He had his pick of university posts in Scotland or England. Cambridge connections offered to pull golden strings for him, though they knew him well enough to know he’d laugh them off. He could have spent his weekdays mingling at functions and soirees, or training the next generation of young athletes, and his Sundays preaching in King’s College Chapel. All of this and more, he gave up for a purpose—for China.