The strange case of the St Louis 1904 marathon 

The tale of the race is told on information panels that were installed on the marathon route in 2020 by the St Louis Olympic Legacy Committee, along with signs marking it out. An older sign can be found on the campus of the city’s Washington University. It reads: “Historical marker: Olympic marathon route of 1904”.

The route, which most probably fell short of the now-standard 26.2-mile distance, started and finished on Olympian Way. It involved several laps of Francis Field Stadium before exiting the stadium’s eastern gate, heading back west on Olympian Way and skirting what were the outer limits of the city at the time. The annual St Louis Marathon continues to follow parts of the same route.

The race itself was held in searing temperatures of 33°C (91.5°F) and on hilly, dusty roads. At the express orders of the Games director, who mistakenly believed that dehydration was beneficial to athletes, only one water station was set up, near the 12-mile point. Science has since moved on and there are now as many as 15 water stations.

As a result of the challenging conditions, 18 out of the 32 runners dropped out of the St Louis 1904 marathon through exhaustion and dehydration. Meanwhile, South African runner Len Taunyane was chased a mile off course by a pack of wild dogs, and Cuban runner Felix Carvajal was laid low by stomach cramps after stopping to eat some apples. They eventually finished ninth and fourth respectively, behind the winner, Thomas Hicks of the USA, whose time of 3 hours, 28 minutes and 53 seconds is the slowest in Olympic history by half an hour.

Hicks spent the last 10 miles of the race in agony and was given egg whites, brandy and strychnine sulphate – a popular and legal stimulant at the time – to keep him on his feet, before being practically carried over the finish line. Hicks never ran a marathon again. The use of such supplements led to the introduction of the first anti-doping rule in Olympic history, with Rule 4 of the regulations for the London 1908 marathon stating: “No competitor, either at the start or during, may take or receive any drug. The breach of this rule will operate as a disqualification.” In high doses, strychnine sulphate is used as rat poison. It is a stimulant at lower doses, however, and is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency for in-competition use.

The controversy surrounding the St Louis 1904 marathon did not end there. The first athlete to cross the line was the USA’s Fred Lorz. It was later found, however, that Lorz had hailed a car ride back to the stadium after initially dropping out with exhaustion. When the car broke down, Lorz decided to run the final few miles and arrived home first to great acclaim from the crowd. He was subsequently disqualified and given a lifetime ban by the Amateur Athletic Union, though this was later rescinded. Lorz went on to win the 1905 Boston Marathon.

After the race, many argued that the marathon was too dangerous and should be abolished. Among them was the Games director, who said the event was “indefensible”. Despite the controversy, the marathon was back at London 1908 and has remained on the Olympic programme ever since.