Think of the greatest sporting blunder and you’ll be far from the 1904 Olympics: the event where a car won the marathon

We’re not saying that you can’t be shocked by an inappropriate moment or a funny situation at the Olympics in Paris, but we can assure you that nothing can match the legendary Olympics held in 1904 in St. Louis, USA. And of all the sports, what happened in Paris will go down in history. the grotesque marathon.

The Fair came first. The 1904 Games were held in the context of the St. Louis World’s Fair, which commemorated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. Chicago was originally selected as the host city, but the fair’s organizers lobbied to move the games to their city, using all their influence and the magnitude of the global event.

Although the city was not very large, it did have great power because it concentrated the cotton trade and maintained a strong commercial activity. In any case, the IOC ended up approving the candidacy with the support and election of President Roosevelt. The combination of the Games with the fair was, at least on paper, intended to attract more visitors and give greater prominence to the sporting event. As we will see below, it did not turn out as they had thought, If not the opposite.

First time and participants. These games, before they were held, already had several important facts. Namely: they were the first to be held outside Europe, the first where the “English” language was the majority, the first where gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the top finishers, and the first where boxing and wrestling made their appearance. In total, 651 athletes (although only six women) from up to 12 countries.

Len Tau and Jan Mashiani were the first black Africans to compete in the modern Olympic Games

Athletes who were supposedly prepared to compete in the 91 events of the 16 official Olympic sports of that time. More details. Although there were several hundred athletes, only 42 were from outside the United States. The reason? In the old continent, there did not seem to be much interest in crossing the Atlantic and leaving Europe for the first time. In any case, and seen in perspective, it was a good decision. And not only because of what happened. They lasted no less than four months.

Let the farce begin. Although some records will go down in the annals of Olympic history (Archie Hahn won several sprint events with a record that lasted almost three decades), the truth is that the event will forever be marked as the worst in every sense. The first of all took place right at the start. Under the title of Anthropological Conferencethere was racial segregation in the inaugural parade. How? By showing members of supposedly inferior races who were going to compete in parallel events (and without official registration).

Anthropological Conference.

In this regard, there were two days where the event forced those who wanted to compete The US considered them “primitive beings” (black Africans or Indians) in “disciplines” such as spear throwing or bows from each “tribe”. The motive was twofold: it was an attempt to ridicule and demonstrate the physical and moral superiority of Anglo-American culture. A regrettable fact in the history of sport that the IOC has tried to eradicate ever since.

An unrivaled marathon. Many things happened at the Games, but if we stick to the strictly sporting aspect, there was a before and after in the Olympics after the marathon. As far as we know, there have never been so many illegalities, cheating, attacks on people and, in general, such an unsportsmanlike feeling in the history of the Olympics. A fact that perhaps partly explains what happened: at that time, there was no trace of professionalism.

Some of the athletes competing in the marathon pose for a group photo.

Let’s put it into context. The modality: 40 kilometer marathon with 32 athletes (representing only four nations). The time: August 30th at noon, because if something has to go wrong, it is better when the sun is at its hottest (32 degrees that day).

The course started and finished in the same stadium, but unlike the races we see today, outside it was literally the “jungle”: a roadless cross-country route where they had to cross seven hills along the Missouri plains next to dusty tracks where a car race was taking place in parallel.

Ready Set… The marathon begins. The runners leave the stadium and begin to dodge, in addition to the vegetation they found in their path, numerous cars that left the parallel circuit. The sun was beating down, but there was no food supply nearby for the athletes. The reason? The only water source was in a well 17 kilometers from the event.

Apparently James Sullivan, the main organizer of the games, had done this deliberately for research. He wanted to see the effects of minimal fluid intake and dehydration in the candidates, testing their limits and endurance.

Marathon participant after leaving the stadium.

Under these conditions, the race was beginning to become an impossible mission. The men, many of them just “athletes for a day” began to faint and fall in the areas surrounding the stadium. Those who were barely able to keep up knew that the goal was a utopia without some kind of help. Some stopped to eat and were poisoned, others, like the South African Taunyane, ran without problems until, by chance, a pack of wild dogs chased him.

The winner”. And of all the “athletes”, the smartest in the class, the American Fred Lorz. Left behind after a fall at 14 kilometers, he decides to get back into the race… in one of the cars participating in the parallel circuitIn fact, Lorz’s last few metres went down in history as the most shameful, as on his “road” to glory he greeted the public and the other participants from his car.

The story goes that his vehicle broke down a few kilometres from the finish line, which was the moment he took advantage of to get out and enter the stadium on foot until he reached the finish line in first place.

The most chanante medal ceremony. The awards ceremony was also a milestone. Lorz stood smiling on the top step, and as he greeted the enthusiastic public, the athlete’s cheating was revealed. His response to the organization? He immediately admitted it, but added that he pretended to win the race as “a joke.” The AAU, the US athletics body, banned him from competing for life (although, for whatever reason, he was pardoned a year later).

Hicks helped by organizers

Second winner. After Lorz was disqualified, the first place went to the British Thomas Hicks. The problem? 15 kilometres from the finish, the man had stopped due to fatigue. Apparently, to get him back in the race he was given several doses of strychnine sulphate with brandy, an alkaloid that was used as a pesticide for mice, but which in small doses stimulates the nervous system. In other words, Hicks was “up to his neck” in drugs, but since there were no anti-doping rules at that time, His race was considered valid and he was the winner.

Remembering “walker”. We cannot finish the story of the worst Olympics without dedicating a few paragraphs to the figure of Feliz “Andarín” Carvajal. A mailman by profession (and occasional advertising man), the hard-working athlete spent months in the streets of Havana in his free time looking for funding to take part in the marathon. He finally got the money, although he lost everything on the way and travelled the rest of the way on foot or with the help of people he met along the way.

Walker, after cutting his long pants at knee height before the race

Strange clothing. Wanderer didn’t have it easy when he arrived. He showed up wearing inappropriate clothing (long pants and a shirt) along with the shoes he used as a postman. They cut off his pants and he went out to run the marathon of his life. It so happened that after more than a day without eating and when he was leading the race, Wanderer couldn’t take it anymore and stopped to eat some apples. The fruit upset his digestion and the man ended up lying down for a while.

However, he finished fourth, because the most grotesque marathon in the history of the Olympics was completed by only 14 participants. Fortunately, at least Andarín dignified the Olympic spirit.

Image | Smithsonian, Jessie Tarbox Beals

At Xataka | The three technological innovations that would change the history of the Olympic Games forever

At Xataka | Paris 2024 Olympic Games: when they are, competition schedule and how to watch it on TV and online