Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon

Men's marathon
at the Games of the III Olympiad
Marathon Hicks1904.jpg
Thomas Hicks and supporters
VenueSt. Louis
DatesAugust 30, 1904
Competitors32 from 7 nations
Winning time3:28:53
Medalists
Gold medal Thomas Hicks
 United States
Silver medal Albert Corey
 France
Bronze medal Arthur Newton
 United States
«19001908»

The men's marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis took place on August 30, 1904. The race covered a distance of 24 miles and 1500 yards (40 km).[1][2]

The race is famous for its poor organization and extremely harsh conditions.[3] It was held during the hottest part of the day on dusty roads, and there were only two places for runners to get water—a water tower at the 6-mile mark and a well at the 12-mile mark.[2][3][4] Out of 32 athletes from seven nations, only 14 finished the race.[5][6]

Background

This was the third time the marathon was held at the Olympics.[2] The event included the first two black Africans to compete in the Olympics: Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani.[7] Both were Tswana men who were already in St. Louis as part of the South African exhibit at the 1904 World's Fair.[8]

Taunyane finished ninth and Mashiani finished twelfth,[5] despite Mashiani being chased nearly a mile off the road by a dog during the race.[8][2]

The Race

The race began at 3:00 pm in temperatures reaching 32°C (90°F). The course was not cleared of traffic, meaning runners had to avoid wagons, trains, and people.[8] The dust from official vehicles made it difficult for runners to breathe,[9] and one runner, William Garcia, nearly died from internal injuries caused by inhaling the dust.[8]

Several runners had unusual experiences:

  • Frederick Lorz stopped running after nine miles and rode in a car for part of the race.[10] He entered the stadium and was nearly awarded the gold medal before officials realized he had cheated.[8]
  • Thomas Hicks won the race, but he was struggling so much that his trainers gave him doses of strychnine (a poison that acts as a stimulant in small amounts) mixed with brandy and eggs.[9][10] He was hallucinating by the end and had to be carried over the finish line.[8]
  • Andarín Carvajal stopped in an orchard to eat apples. The apples were rotten, so he took a nap to recover from stomach cramps. He still finished in fourth place.[8]

Results

RankAthleteNationTime
1Thomas Hicks United States3:28:53
2Albert Corey France3:34:52
3Arthur Newton United States3:47:33
4Andarín Carvajal CubaUnknown
5Dimitrios Veloulis GreeceUnknown
6David Kneeland United StatesUnknown
7Harry Brawley United StatesUnknown
8Sidney Hatch United StatesUnknown
9Len Taunyane South AfricaUnknown
10Christos Zechouritis GreeceUnknown
11Harry Devlin United StatesUnknown
12Jan Mashiani South AfricaUnknown
13John Furla United StatesUnknown
14Andrew Oikonomou GreeceUnknown
DSQFrederick Lorz United States3:13:00

References

  1. ↑ Longman, Jeré (April 20, 2012). "The Marathon's Random Route to Its Length". The New York Times.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Martin, David E.; Gynn, Roger W. H. (2000). The Olympic Marathon. Human Kinetics. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-88011-969-6.
  3. 1 2 Wallechinsky, David (1984). The Complete Book of the Olympics. Penguin Books. pp. 44–45. ISBN 0140066322.
  4. ↑ "Hicks the Victor in Marathon Race". St. Louis Republic. August 31, 1904. p. 1.
  5. 1 2 "Marathon, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Athletics at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Games: Men's Marathon". Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  7. ↑ van der Merwe, Floris J.G. (1999). "Africa's First Encounter with the Olympic Games In....1904" (PDF). Journal of Olympic History. September 1999. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Abbott, Karen (August 7, 2012). "The 1904 Olympic Marathon May Have Been The Strangest Ever". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  9. 1 2 Wallechinsky, David (1984). The Complete Book of the Olympics. Penguin Books. pp. 44–45. ISBN 0140066322.
  10. 1 2 Longman, Jeré (April 20, 2012). "The Marathon's Random Route to Its Length". The New York Times.
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