Adverse conditions, hardly any water, but instead strychnine, rotten apples, hunting dogs, emergency naps and a cheating winner. Sounds like the plot for a Hollywood comedy – but it was the absurd Olympic marathon of 1904. Its anniversary is on August 30th.
One could say that these men were fearless pioneers. On this Tuesday, August 30, 32 athletes lined up at the starting line in the newly built Francis Field in St. Louis. This was the first Olympic marathon ever to take place on American soil. The course was “only” 40 kilometers long back then – unlike today, where a marathon is exactly 42.195 kilometers long. More on that later.
One thing in advance: hours later, only 14 of the 32 starters were to reach the finish line, and one or two of them were in a very precarious condition. To this day, this is the worst finisher rate at an Olympic marathon. The starting gun sounded at exactly 3:03 p.m. and the first five laps were run around the track in the stadium in front of thousands of spectators. The first casualties were recorded early on – the 1903 Boston Marathon winner, John Lordan, had to vomit several times and dropped out.
Brutal run through heat and dust
The athletes then stormed out into the city and along winding country roads across St. Louis. The conditions for the race were catastrophic. 32 degrees in the shade, and the dust outside on the makeshift paths that ran over seven steep hills was wild. The route wasn’t even officially cordoned off. Heads up, horses, dogs and cars!
The start time from today’s perspective: difficult. Instead of 9 a.m., the athletes were sent on the 40-kilometer journey in the afternoon, at the warmest time of day. On the way, the cars driving ahead kicked up so much dust that some runners complained of a constant cough. There was only one place to get water, a fountain at kilometer 19 – today the regulations stipulate at least eight places for water to be distributed. The organizer James E. Sullivan used the race to research the absurd theory of “targeted dehydration.”
Small man, big ambitions
The starting field was as strange as the conditions. For example, there was the Cuban Felix Carvajal. A postman, 1.53 meters tall, with a distinctive moustache and who had arrived with great ambitions. He worked hard on the island to raise money for his participation, even circumnavigating his country once. As soon as he arrived in the United States, he is said to have gambled away his money in the casino. He then hitchhiked from New Orleans to St. Louis, arriving just in time for the event. On the day of the race, he appeared wearing heavy street shoes, long pants and a long shirt. To create a sporty look, he cut off the legs of his pants.
The field was mostly American, including some experienced runners such as Sam Mellor, Arthur Newton and Thomas Hicks, who, funnily enough, earned his money as a professional clown. Another favorite was Fred Lorz, a bricklayer who trained mainly at night. There were also ten Greeks who had apparently never run a full marathon and about whom little was known, and two South Africans who made history along the way. Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani were two members of the Batswana and the first black Africans to take part in the Olympic Games – in some pictures they can be seen barefoot.
Their start has a racist background. The two took part in the “Anthropological Days” that took place at the World Exhibition in St. Louis. At that time, Olympia was nothing more than an appendage to the World Exhibition – and at those “Anthropological Days” indigenous tribes were supposed to take part in sports that were supposedly foreign to them. This “performance” reflects the spirit of the times. Taunyane and Jan Mashiani were there as showmen at an exhibition where they reenacted scenes from the Boer War. During a mile run, they were discovered by the organizers for the marathon.
Hicks and Lorz initially took the lead, but the lead changed frequently in the first few kilometers. The conditions took their toll. One after the other, prominent runners like Boston winner Mellor dropped out. The American athlete William Garcia suddenly collapsed at kilometer 30. He was found lying on the road with internal injuries and had to be nursed back to health in hospital for days.
One of the favorites, Fred Lurz, also had problems. He suffered from severe cramps from kilometer 14 onwards. So what should he do? He got a car – possibly from his trainer, the sources are unclear – and had him drive him to the finish line, waving to spectators and opponents. When the car also broke down, he got out, ran “first” to the finish line and was celebrated. “I just wanted to enjoy the cheers,” he is said to have said sheepishly.
That can of course happen in the midst of an injury crisis. In fact, he was just receiving the winner’s wreath from the President’s daughter Alice Roosevelt when an attentive spectator spread the news of the car fraud. Bad for Lurz: He was subsequently banned for life. Good for him: The following year, the ban was lifted again – he had apologized and won – as far as we know, in accordance with the rules – the prestigious Boston Marathon in 1905. The winner of the Olympic race was Thomas Hicks, who had been through a real odyssey and was able to “thank” his trainers and helpers for various experiments.
They were on the trail of great and innovative ideas in sports science – or maybe not. In any case, they believed in the theory that you shouldn’t eat anything (okay) or drink anything (not so ok) during a long run. That was actually the plan: rinse your mouth with distilled water. To do this, you rub it with warm water. In the end, they resorted to strychnine, better known as rat poison, which was said to have a stimulating effect in small amounts.
Strychnine for stimulating
He received the strychnine in combination with brandy and egg white. It was an early attempt in the history of the modern Olympic Games to push an athlete beyond his limits with biochemical support. However, Hicks, not surprisingly, had hallucinations and dizziness and dragged himself across the course shortly before being knocked out. He then staggered to the finish line under the strychnine “doping”, the first non-cheater to do so, held and supported by his companions (that would no longer be allowed today). He had to be treated for over an hour by doctors in the finish area, who apparently did not resort to strychnine and brandy. He is said to have lost over 3.5 kilograms during the race.
His finishing time: 3:28:51. A time that many ambitious amateur runners can manage today, but still very impressive considering the exertion and the conditions that were not suitable for sport. Hicks was seven minutes faster than the second-placed French immigrant Albert Corey and 17 minutes faster than third-placed Arthur Newton (USA).
Thomas Hicks is supported by helpers
The Cuban postman Carvajal came in fourth. During the race he is said to have eaten apples from a garden, which promptly caused stomach cramps. For this reason he had to take an emergency nap on the side of the road shortly afterwards to regain his strength. Who knows how far he would have gone. Many believe he could have won the race.
The two South Africans finished 9th and 12th. According to a report, Taunyane was chased by a dog and chased through the wheat field, otherwise he would probably have achieved a much better placing.
Andrew Oikonomou from Greece was the last of the 14 finishers to cross the finish line. The exact time is still unknown. After the first three places, it was no longer recorded. However, athletes are said to have continued to arrive for hours.
Marathon only briefly fell into disrepute
After this amazing race, including disastrous planning by the head of the organizing committee, James O. Sullivan, the marathon, not surprisingly, fell into disrepute. The head of the organization immediately wanted to abolish it – even though he himself had played a large part in the misery. “A 40-kilometer run is too much for human endurance,” he thundered. But he stuck to his no-water maxim. “I have never completed such a tough course in my life. The huge hills simply tear a man to pieces,” complained winner Hicks. He was never to run an official marathon again.
But Sullivan’s plans to abolish the marathon did not go through. The marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers, which is still valid today, was only established four years later in London. The reason was as simple as it was royally beautiful: the distance from Windsor Castle to the stadium was 42 kilometers. Queen Alexandra, however, insisted that the route should pass by her balcony. And that is what she did. The additional distance: 195 meters. So the 42.195 meters are still valid today.
Emmanuel Schneider
Source: www.sport.de
