Marathon, Men

The race was 40 km and was held on a 90° F (32° C) day. In addition, it was run over dusty country roads, and the lead automobiles kicked up so much dust that the runners practically choked on it throughout the race. There was also only one water stop on the course, that being a well at 12 miles.

Among the Americans, there were several top distance runners: Sammy Mellor, winner of the 1902 Boston Marathon; John Lordan, winner of Boston in 1903; Mike Spring, winner of Boston in 1904; and Arthur Newton, who had finished fifth at Paris in the 1900 Olympic marathon. The top foreign distance runners were not present, but a 5-foot tall Cuban named Félix Carvajal had come to St. Louis.

Carvajal had raised money for the trip by staging exhibitions and running the entire length of Cuba. Arriving in New Orleans, he lost all his money in a crap game, which forced him to hitch-hike to St. Louis. He showed up on race day wearing heavy street shoes, long trousers, a beret, and a long-sleeved shirt. Martin Sheridan helped him out by trimming the pants and the shirt. During the race, Carvajal would stop to eat some green apples, which caused stomach cramps and didn’t help his cause. Still, he finished fourth, listed in a 1905 edition of the St. Louis Republic as “about 1/2-hour behind Hicks.”

The first two South African Olympians were, ironically, black men (named Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani) who ran the marathon. Both Tswana Tribesmen, they were present at the South African exhibit of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. They had been dispatch runners during the recent Boer War and were noted to be “the fleetest in the service.” They finished the marathon in 9th and 12th place, respectively.

The race started at 3 PM, and the runners ran five laps of the stadium before heading out into the country. Fred Lorz had the early lead but dropped out at nine miles. At that point, the lead was held by Arthur Newton, veteran of the 1900 Olympic marathon, and Sammy Mellor. Shortly thereafter, Mellor slowed to a walk, and Tom Hicks moved up on the leaders. Through 14 miles, Mellor had regained the lead, with Newton second, Hicks thirds, and Albert Corey and William Garcia together in fourth. Garcia would eventually drop out, and suffered so badly from the heat, dust, and lack of water, that he spent several days in the hospital, his life in the balance, before recovering.

At this point, Hicks began to flag badly. His handlers helped him, administering strychnine sulfate in an egg white, giving him water, and sponging him down. The early sports medicine seemed to work, as he had the lead at 19 miles. At 20 miles, he was again ready to collapse when he was given the same potions, along with sips of brandy. He was then passed by Fred Lorz, who was refreshed after having ridden in an automobile most of the race.

Lorz entered the stadium first and received the crowd’s plaudits, as they were oblivious to his scheme. Hicks came shortly after, almost dead on his feet. He had finished the race by slow jogging interspersed with periods of walking. Lorz was soon found out and was banned from amateur competition for life, only to see it rescinded in time for him to win the 1905 Boston Marathon.