“Unbelievable” is the right word, four times over.
With the 2024 Olympics fast approaching, we must remember some of the most notable memories of the Games over the years. There was the time that runner Jesse Owens broke several records in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin as an act of defiance towards Nazi ideology. The Dream Team of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona was also notable because active NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley competed, and Muhammed Ali lit the torch to mark the start of the 1996 Olympics amidst his struggles with Parkinson’s.
The Games have made some amazing memories that continue to interest a generation of sports fans. But the men’s Marathon held during the 1904 Olympics is known as the most inexplicable event in Olympics history. Here’s why.
For starters, African runner Len Taunyane ran barefoot in the race and did reasonably well. But eventually, he got chased off the track by a pack of dogs, and Taunyane finished ninth that day. But that wasn’t the only odd story associated with the race.
American Fred Lorz was doing well but then came down with stomach cramps. His response? He hitched a ride for the rest of the race and was declared the winner! As Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s daughter was about to present him with the gold medal, the cheating was exposed, and Lorz’s “prize” was a lifetime ban from competing. But there’s even more to this story. After issuing a sincere apology, the ban was lifted, and Lorz won the Boston Marathon the next year–competing the right way.
It would be notable enough if that included two bizarre stories, but there are not one but two more stories to share!
Andarín Carvajal of Cuba lost his money from gambling in New Orleans. He cut his street clothes to look like shorts to run the race, but his prospects were dim because (out of money) he hadn’t eaten in days. Needing nourishment, Carvajal asked a spectator if he could eat the peaches he had with him. The fan declined, but that didn’t stop Carvajal. He grabbed the fruit and went off, snatching more fruit (apples this time) during the race and also taking a nap along the way. Incredible, right? It’s not as unbelievable as how he performed–finishing fourth.
The last story in this incredible race is about the winner, American Thomas Hicks. Hicks took “performance enhancers” to improve his race prospects and a strange combination it was–a mix of strychnine, egg whites, and brandy. Hicks experienced hallucinations but still won the race.
When the competitors set foot in Paris for the Games in July this year, let’s hope to see some amazing memories and nothing as crazy as what happened during the 1904 Marathon.
