2023
Zátopek Marathon
Zátopek Marathon
A marathon as a storytelling device, where each step traces a lifetime. Through movement, the city becomes a living archive, turning narrative into space.
Project Overview
A graphic reinterpretation of Endurance: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Emil Zátopek by Rick Broadbent, transforming the biography into an immersive experience that metaphorically traces Zátopek’s life through a marathon in Prague, with stops tied to key events and locations from the text.
The challenge
To rethink the experience of reading a classic biography by immersing the reader in a more memorable and impactful way.
Concept
“If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.” - E. Zátopek
The idea emerged during the reading of Endurance, sparked by the quote from Zátopek himself. This sentence reframed the entire biography—not just as a written account, but as something to be lived, retraced, and physically experienced.
The marathon as a medium to map a life
The project imagines the biography as a marathon across Prague. Key events in Zátopek’s life become milestones on a 42-kilometre route through the city. The result is a layered experience where reading and movement intersect, inviting the reader to engage with the story through geography and endurance.
Research
Annotation and Extraction
The biography was carefully annotated to extract locations, names, and historical references. A total of 40 significant sites were identified, each tied to meaningful passages from the book and Zátopek’s life.
Site Verification
Each location was assessed for historical relevance, current existence, and visual clarity. Removed monuments were retained when their absence held symbolic value tied to the book’s themes.
Data Collection
Information was gathered for each site, including historical context, geographic coordinates for route planning, and visual references to support layout and early design.
Execution
Urban Mapping and Route Design
To translate the selected locations into a coherent marathon, a course mapping process was used to design a route within the 42.195 km limit. Various path combinations were tested using RouteXL, a tool for optimizing delivery routes, to generate efficient sequences. These were then refined in Google Maps for improved geographic accuracy and walkable navigation, prioritizing coordinates over civic numbers.
Map Asset Creation
A custom grayscale map of Prague was built in QGIS using data from the Prague Geoportal and OpenStreetMap. Stock maps and default sources were discarded for lacking scalability and clarity. The final asset was designed for both print and After Effects animation, offering a clean, high-resolution base to track the marathon route across the book.
The final asset was designed for both print and After Effects animation, offering a clean, high-resolution base to track the marathon route across the book.
Site photography
The photographic collection was created over several days by following carefully planned walking routes. These routes grouped nearby locations together to form efficient paths, ensuring that all 40 identified sites across Prague were eventually covered.
Locations were photographed in person with attention to framing, lighting, and architectural context, documenting the city as a living archive of Zátopek’s life.
Alongside contemporary photographs, selected historical images were integrated to create a visual dialogue between past and present. These archival references—sourced based on the biography’s timeline—were used to reinforce the connection between the current cityscape and Zátopek’s historical context.
Post-Production
Images were captured in RAW and edited using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Adjustments were made to exposure, contrast, sharpness, and tonal balance to enhance visual clarity while preserving realism. Overexposed skies were replaced with a neutral, paper-matching tone to integrate textual overlays, creating a consistent cutout effect across the book. Perspective distortions, especially on large structures, were corrected to maintain visual alignment within the book’s grid system.
Typographic system
Sabon was used for body text and Lucida Sans for chapter headings, preserving a classic tone for the original content. Arial, a sans-serif typeface, was applied to supplementary data such as stop details and in-depth texts. Marathon stage terms were highlighted in red, with all instances indexed at the end of the book to aid navigation.
Layout & book structure
A quadrant system was used to track marathon progress across chapters, serving as a constant visual reference.
Double-page spreads maintain consistency through a shared grid structure, with full-spread layouts distinguishing narrative sections from marathon segments enriched by photographic content.
Cover & binding
Two editions were produced. The first features a plotter-cut quadrant on the cover revealing a Prague map beneath, alongside Zátopek’s quote.
The second, optimized for industrial production, uses a full printed cover with the same graphic elements.
Both use sewn paperback binding, allowing flat opening for photo spreads and sequential flip-through viewing.
Outcome
Title
A multi-layered editorial project that merges conceptual design, book design, digital cartography (GIS), video animation, course mapping, photography to create a hybrid reading experience. The final result transforms passive reading into spatial exploration, making Zátopek’s story both visible and tangible.
View the full pdf on pubhtml5
More Works
©2024
Let's Work Together
©2025
Contact Now
Let's talk
We can create something amazing together!
Available Worldwide
Available Worldwide
2023
Zátopek Marathon
A marathon as a storytelling device, where each step traces a lifetime. Through movement, the city becomes a living archive, turning narrative into space.
Project Overview
A graphic reinterpretation of Endurance: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Emil Zátopek by Rick Broadbent, transforming the biography into an immersive experience that metaphorically traces Zátopek’s life through a marathon in Prague, with stops tied to key events and locations from the text.
The challenge
To rethink the experience of reading a classic biography by immersing the reader in a more memorable and impactful way.
Concept
“If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.” - E. Zátopek
The idea emerged during the reading of Endurance, sparked by the quote from Zátopek himself. This sentence reframed the entire biography—not just as a written account, but as something to be lived, retraced, and physically experienced.
The marathon as a medium to map a life
The project imagines the biography as a marathon across Prague. Key events in Zátopek’s life become milestones on a 42-kilometre route through the city. The result is a layered experience where reading and movement intersect, inviting the reader to engage with the story through geography and endurance.
Research
Annotation and Extraction
The biography was carefully annotated to extract locations, names, and historical references. A total of 40 significant sites were identified, each tied to meaningful passages from the book and Zátopek’s life.
Site Verification
Each location was assessed for historical relevance, current existence, and visual clarity. Removed monuments were retained when their absence held symbolic value tied to the book’s themes.
Data Collection
Information was gathered for each site, including historical context, geographic coordinates for route planning, and visual references to support layout and early design.
Execution
Urban Mapping and Route Design
To translate the selected locations into a coherent marathon, a course mapping process was used to design a route within the 42.195 km limit. Various path combinations were tested using RouteXL, a tool for optimizing delivery routes, to generate efficient sequences. These were then refined in Google Maps for improved geographic accuracy and walkable navigation, prioritizing coordinates over civic numbers.
Map Asset Creation
A custom grayscale map of Prague was built in QGIS using data from the Prague Geoportal and OpenStreetMap. Stock maps and default sources were discarded for lacking scalability and clarity. The final asset was designed for both print and After Effects animation, offering a clean, high-resolution base to track the marathon route across the book.
The final asset was designed for both print and After Effects animation, offering a clean, high-resolution base to track the marathon route across the book.
Site photography
The photographic collection was created over several days by following carefully planned walking routes. These routes grouped nearby locations together to form efficient paths, ensuring that all 40 identified sites across Prague were eventually covered.
Locations were photographed in person with attention to framing, lighting, and architectural context, documenting the city as a living archive of Zátopek’s life.
Alongside contemporary photographs, selected historical images were integrated to create a visual dialogue between past and present. These archival references—sourced based on the biography’s timeline—were used to reinforce the connection between the current cityscape and Zátopek’s historical context.
Post-Production
Images were captured in RAW and edited using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Adjustments were made to exposure, contrast, sharpness, and tonal balance to enhance visual clarity while preserving realism. Overexposed skies were replaced with a neutral, paper-matching tone to integrate textual overlays, creating a consistent cutout effect across the book. Perspective distortions, especially on large structures, were corrected to maintain visual alignment within the book’s grid system.
Typographic system
Sabon was used for body text and Lucida Sans for chapter headings, preserving a classic tone for the original content. Arial, a sans-serif typeface, was applied to supplementary data such as stop details and in-depth texts. Marathon stage terms were highlighted in red, with all instances indexed at the end of the book to aid navigation.
Layout & book structure
A quadrant system was used to track marathon progress across chapters, serving as a constant visual reference.
Double-page spreads maintain consistency through a shared grid structure, with full-spread layouts distinguishing narrative sections from marathon segments enriched by photographic content.
Cover & binding
Two editions were produced. The first features a plotter-cut quadrant on the cover revealing a Prague map beneath, alongside Zátopek’s quote.
The second, optimized for industrial production, uses a full printed cover with the same graphic elements.
Both use sewn paperback binding, allowing flat opening for photo spreads and sequential flip-through viewing.
Outcome
Title
A multi-layered editorial project that merges conceptual design, book design, digital cartography (GIS), video animation, course mapping, photography to create a hybrid reading experience. The final result transforms passive reading into spatial exploration, making Zátopek’s story both visible and tangible.
View the full pdf on pubhtml5
More Works
©2024
Let's Work Together
©2025
Contact Now
Let's talk
We can create something amazing together!
Available Worldwide
2023
Zátopek Marathon
A marathon as a storytelling device, where each step traces a lifetime. Through movement, the city becomes a living archive, turning narrative into space.
Project Overview
A graphic reinterpretation of Endurance: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Emil Zátopek by Rick Broadbent, transforming the biography into an immersive experience that metaphorically traces Zátopek’s life through a marathon in Prague, with stops tied to key events and locations from the text.
The challenge
To rethink the experience of reading a classic biography by immersing the reader in a more memorable and impactful way.
Concept
“If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.” - E. Zátopek
The idea emerged during the reading of Endurance, sparked by the quote from Zátopek himself. This sentence reframed the entire biography—not just as a written account, but as something to be lived, retraced, and physically experienced.
The marathon as a medium to map a life
The project imagines the biography as a marathon across Prague. Key events in Zátopek’s life become milestones on a 42-kilometre route through the city. The result is a layered experience where reading and movement intersect, inviting the reader to engage with the story through geography and endurance.
Research
Annotation and Extraction
The biography was carefully annotated to extract locations, names, and historical references. A total of 40 significant sites were identified, each tied to meaningful passages from the book and Zátopek’s life.
Site Verification
Each location was assessed for historical relevance, current existence, and visual clarity. Removed monuments were retained when their absence held symbolic value tied to the book’s themes.
Data Collection
Information was gathered for each site, including historical context, geographic coordinates for route planning, and visual references to support layout and early design.
Execution
Urban Mapping and Route Design
To translate the selected locations into a coherent marathon, a course mapping process was used to design a route within the 42.195 km limit. Various path combinations were tested using RouteXL, a tool for optimizing delivery routes, to generate efficient sequences. These were then refined in Google Maps for improved geographic accuracy and walkable navigation, prioritizing coordinates over civic numbers.
Map Asset Creation
A custom grayscale map of Prague was built in QGIS using data from the Prague Geoportal and OpenStreetMap. Stock maps and default sources were discarded for lacking scalability and clarity. The final asset was designed for both print and After Effects animation, offering a clean, high-resolution base to track the marathon route across the book.
The final asset was designed for both print and After Effects animation, offering a clean, high-resolution base to track the marathon route across the book.
Site photography
The photographic collection was created over several days by following carefully planned walking routes. These routes grouped nearby locations together to form efficient paths, ensuring that all 40 identified sites across Prague were eventually covered.
Locations were photographed in person with attention to framing, lighting, and architectural context, documenting the city as a living archive of Zátopek’s life.
Alongside contemporary photographs, selected historical images were integrated to create a visual dialogue between past and present. These archival references—sourced based on the biography’s timeline—were used to reinforce the connection between the current cityscape and Zátopek’s historical context.
Post-Production
Images were captured in RAW and edited using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Adjustments were made to exposure, contrast, sharpness, and tonal balance to enhance visual clarity while preserving realism. Overexposed skies were replaced with a neutral, paper-matching tone to integrate textual overlays, creating a consistent cutout effect across the book. Perspective distortions, especially on large structures, were corrected to maintain visual alignment within the book’s grid system.
Typographic system
Sabon was used for body text and Lucida Sans for chapter headings, preserving a classic tone for the original content. Arial, a sans-serif typeface, was applied to supplementary data such as stop details and in-depth texts. Marathon stage terms were highlighted in red, with all instances indexed at the end of the book to aid navigation.
Layout & book structure
A quadrant system was used to track marathon progress across chapters, serving as a constant visual reference.
Double-page spreads maintain consistency through a shared grid structure, with full-spread layouts distinguishing narrative sections from marathon segments enriched by photographic content.
Cover & binding
Two editions were produced. The first features a plotter-cut quadrant on the cover revealing a Prague map beneath, alongside Zátopek’s quote.
The second, optimized for industrial production, uses a full printed cover with the same graphic elements.
Both use sewn paperback binding, allowing flat opening for photo spreads and sequential flip-through viewing.
Outcome
Title
A multi-layered editorial project that merges conceptual design, book design, digital cartography (GIS), video animation, course mapping, photography to create a hybrid reading experience. The final result transforms passive reading into spatial exploration, making Zátopek’s story both visible and tangible.
View the full pdf on pubhtml5
More Works
©2024
Let's Work Together
©2025
Contact Now
Let's talk
We can create something amazing together!
Available Worldwide