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So bizarre was this marathon that it deserves its own
article. For now, the bullet points. The course was
planned through the city, but no thought was given to
clearing the track so the runners had to dodge carts,
leap cracks in the road and many got lost. One runner
was even chased by wild dogs.
Cuban runner Felix Carbajalmmade the journey from his
home only to lose all his money in a dice game and had
to run in trousers cut off at the knee and leather shoes.
The winner was bricklayer Fred Lorz, but he was
immediately disqualified because he had hitch-hiked
part of the way. He laughed off the public shaming, saying
he thought it was a sort of practical joke. The following
year he won the Boston Marathon.
With the disqualification of Lorz, the medal was handed
to British runner Thomas Hicks. His staff had to push him
over the line such was his exhaustion. Throughout the
latter part of the race, they had kept him moving with a
disgusting and potentially lethal combination of brandy, egg
whites and strychnine.
Nineteen-hundred-and-four could be seen as marathon’s
lowest low, or instead as a laughably ridiculous high
depending on you sense of humour. Regardless, the
marathon started straightening its back and behaving.
Marathon distance was pretty irregular for the first decades
of its existence. Transplanted from Greece, they tended to be
around about 26 miles, but were changed to suit the needs
of the terrain. The course in the 1908 games in London went
from the White City Stadium to Windsor Palace, the seat of the
royal family. In order for the race to end directly under the royal
box, an extra 385 yards were added. So 26.2 miles became the
official length.
There have been other weird and controversial moments in the
history of marathons. One of Japan’s first Olympic heroes was
Shizo Kanakuri, who took part in the 1912 games at Stockholm.
Unable to finish the race, he stayed with a local family before
slipping out of the country in shame. The Swedish authorities had
him listed as a missing person for over 50 years. As an old man, he
returned to complete the race.
In 1960, Abede Bikila won the event without shoes, ushering in a
period of East African domination of the sport.
The sport has naturally left behind its grander quirks. In 1970, Fred
Lebow and Vince Chiappetta started the New York Marathon. It cost
a dollar to enter and only 55 men finished.
Since these humble beginnings, the race has become one of the most
famous and well-organised events in the world.
Pheiddipides would be proud.
3 X ITU WORLD CHAMPION - PETER ROBERTSON