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The Worst Marathon in Human History
The 1904 Olympic Marathon involved three near deaths, feral dogs, rat poison, rotten apples, brandy, and course cutting
It was 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 °C), and runners had to run 25 miles in dirt roads in the country that created dust clouds. One man finished the race by taking a ride in the car and then jogging across the finish. He would take a photo with the daughter of Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter and then would later have to admit that he lied and be disqualified.
Three people almost died running the race. One runner was nearly chased off the course by dogs. Another had to be given strychnine (rat poison) and brandy to finish the race, as he hallucinated and barely was able to walk, and lost eight pounds by the end of the race. Another runner was found passed out along the road with severe internal injuries due to breathing dust, and would have died if found an hour later. Another runner hadn’t eaten in 40 hours and ate rotten apples along the route, which caused him to have stomach cramps and have to take a nap before finishing.
The event sounds like some sort of a circus, twisted comedy show or sitcom, but it wasn’t — it was the actual history of the 1904 Olympic men’s marathon, the worst race in human history.
