Sportsman Emerich Rath used to be famous in the first half of
the 20th century, but is hardly known today. He won more than 500
competitions,
championships and races all around Europe; was heavy weigh boxing
champion of Germany; champion of long distance walking and running;
skiing pioneer and champion ; started at Olympic games in London (1908)
and Stockholm (1912); model in early body building books; won in rowing
many times and many other sports.
In his 77th
year he wanted
to go to the Olympic games in Rome by bike (it's 3000 kilometers from
Prague and back!); he was also a successful sports store owner and
propagator of sports and vegetarianism.
He was imprisoned
by the
Nazis during the second world war and by the communists after the war. He
remained a sportsman and vegetarian until the end of his life.
Successful Propagator of Vegetarianism
Emerich Rath was born in Prague in 1883 in a German family, and spent his childhood in the north
of Bohemia (Austro-Hungarian Empire that time, now the Czech Republic).
He became
a vegetarian at
the age of 16 at the end of 19th century and stood till the end of his
life beeing also in touch with the vegetarian movement and the IVU. After
every competition he won, he never forget to say, that he is a longtime
vegetarian. At 14 he moved to Prague to get higher education. Then he went
working to Germany, was active in many sport clubs and was one of the bests
long distance walkers, runners and athletes. No one was able to beat him.
He started
to be famous
sportsman, vegetarian and sport magazines and books glorified him. For
example, in an interesting book Fleshless Diet (J.L.Buttner, New York 1910):
" Mr.
Rath won the fifty
kilometers race with military equipment organized by the Komet Sporting
Club of Berlin. His equipment weighed sixty two lbs., and he covered the
distance in six hours and thirty -two minutes. Medical examinations
showed that Rath´s hearth was in excellent condition when he reached the
goal and he had only lost 2,8 kilograms of his weight when other
competitors lost up to four kilograms."
Rath later completed this race in 6 hours and 13 minutes and this record
was never outperformed. He also published a book about his training methods
in 1905. He wrote there:
"Since 16. I am completely vegetarian and on the base of this
practice can
say, that meatless nutrition is able to fulfil the most physically active
man."
He wrote, that he is eating very abstemious, mostly fresh fruits,
bread, nuts and seeds, vegetables and from time to time some milk, is
teetotaler. (For meat eaters is up to this day hard to believe that it is
possible to build up a strong body on this diet) During the long distance
marches he ate raisins, almonds and drank grape juice. Likes cold water
showers, winter swimming in rivers, is using modern training methods.
There is an article in Olympic Review from 1941 about sporting diet - the
author C. Diem wrote:
" I remember
among these
victorious vegetarians outstanding endurance walker, a winner of
innumerable pack marches, competition endurance walks, long distance
skiing contests and paddle- boat journeys, Emerich Rath of Prague. He
wasn't in any way a thin man, as is often the case with vegetarians.
On the contrary he is stocky and athletic and had especially strong bones
and tremendous muscular development, a true Hercules. He inclined
towards an ascetic form of life which has proved efficacious info his
fifties and even today enables him to accomplish strenuous
performances."
He was very
tall, unusually
strong and tough weighting 80, later 100 kilograms and due this was
called, as above, as a Hercules or giant. He won a contest for the best
body in 1910. He made use of his dispositions to help to the other people
in need. Due his abilities he saved many lives in mountains in the winter
and was awarded for risking his life to save others several times. He
stayed vegetarian also during his military service during the first world
war!
Sport
store owner
He opened his
own sport store in Prague in 1929 which became very quickly the best and
favorite Sport store in Prague, he had the best equipment from the whole
world and Rath himself was very friendly and helpful tradesman with sense
for humor. Rath was
enthusiastic
propagator of sport, he build his own weekend house in a beautiful valley
of Sazava river and made a sporting place there (tennis field, running
track, equipment for high jump etc) and organized competitions for prizes
donated by himself. This area was called Rath´s Ranch . Rath was a fan
of
simply natural life, woodcraft, lived with the respect to the nature and
he loved the native americans and was walking barefoot also during the
winter. He wasn't doing the sport for money and always played fair.
Hard
times during the war
He was a German, but a cosmopolitan and when Hitler occupied
Czechoslovakia he kept the Czechoslovakian citizenship. He hated Nazis and
was helping to Jews during the war and for this he spent three months in
the Gestapo custody jail. During the war he also helped to Boris
Efenberger, a german Jew who survived the holocaust hidden in his store .
For such activities was only one penalty at the German courts, the death
sentence. You needed much fortitude for doing this this during the war.
Rath was a real hero and we can be proud that vegetarians have examples
like him.
Worst
times after the war
When communists came to the power in Czechoslovakia in 1948
Rath´s
store has been confiscated, - as every other private undertaking - and
Rath was imprisoned for one year for „propaganda of western life" and
was accused as a „possible hazard for moral development of youths".
The reason were scout boys badges (also the scout boys were on the communist
black list), native american clothes and tomahawk, cowboy hats and Popey
the Sailor displayed in the shop window of his store. (Popey the Sailor
was in the eyes of communists propaganda of american life, but I think
that Emerich Rath liked this guy for his strength from Spinach eating).
So
Rath, who liked freedom so much came to prison. He was 65. And his wife
died at this time. It was a hard time for Rath, he lost the woman he
loved and the store he had, the state gave him the lowest possible old
age
pension, which wasn't enough even for a simple life he had. Additionally,
the times were very bad for vegetarians, lack of fresh fruits and
vegetables, vegetarian restaurants and stores or organizations were
liquidated.
Still doing sport and active vegetarian
But he wasn't giving up! To earn some
money, he
started working as a street sweeper or bricklayer, and was optimistic
doing this despite his old age. In 1954 (in the age of 71) he was still
able to run a 10 kilometers race in a very good time! In 1960 he wrote
a
greeting letter to World Vegetarian Congress held in Hamburg. (First of
these letters of support he sent to the International Vegetarian Union
Congress in 1909 !)
He wrote „I wish success to the Vegetarian
movement. Peace to the whole World!" . He also described,
that he
wanted to go to Rome Olympic Games in 1960 by bike and with a tent (3000
kilometers). He was 77 at this time! But the communist didn't gave him
the
permission to leave Czechoslovakia, so the sport champion and early Olympics
competer only saw the games in TV and radio. (These were the Olympics
where another vegetarian, Murray Rose, triumphally won.)
Sad
end of one optimists
He
was in
perfect condition till a car hit him on the street, injured him and broke
his leg. He went then to his cousin to Broumov, a small town in the North-Eastern
Bohemia
where
he
grew
up.
He lived by him until they had an argue in 1962 and Rath had to leave. He
lived with no money in the town park and washed himself in the fountain.
The police deported him to the old people´s home where he died at
Christmas 1962 at the age of 79. There was written in the admitting record
of
the retirement home „I want work and do sports"
Sportsman
Rath
wasn't giving up till the end! If you come to Prague, go through the
large
street Na Prikopech and in the middle is a passage to the Ovocny trh
Square where the Rath´s Sport store was. The passage is called "Rath´s
Passage" today but only few people know why. 2003 was
the 120th
anniversary of Rath´s birth. Emerich Rath was a real European, active as
a
sportsman in the whole Europe, spoke eight languages and was member of
these
sport clubs in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Britain etc: Berlin Sport Club,
Boxing Club Berlin, German Football Club Prague, Bolzano, Football Club
Germania, Football Club Rapid, Foot Ball Club Slavia Prague, Lyzarsky
zavodni klub (Skiing club), Sport Club Charlottenburg, Ruder (rowing) Club
Hellas, Sport Favorit, Touring Club, Turnverein, Vegetarian Cycling and
Athletic Club London…
Written by Jan Stastny for International Vegetarian Union