Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
Encyclopedia
The men's marathon race was held at the 1908 Summer Olympics
in London
. The race was held on July 24, 1908.
The distance was the now-standard length of 26 miles, 385 yards (42 195 m). 75 competitors entered. 55 runners from 16 nations began the race, with 27 athletes (representing 11 nations) finishing.
The most famous incident of the Games came at the end of the event. It occurred when the first runner to enter the stadium, Dorando Pietri
of Italy, collapsed several times and ran the wrong way. Not far from the finish-line, two of the officials took him by the arms, and brought him to the line. As a consequence, after crossing the line he was disqualified. The medal went to American Johnny Hayes
who was second over the line, but the glory went to Pietri. Since he himself had not been responsible for his disqualification Queen Alexandra
the next day awarded him a gold cup in recognition of his achievement.
Marathons became an annual event in London following the 1908 Olympics. The Polytechnic Marathon
was held each year until 1996.
(*) distance 40.0 km
(**) distance 41.86 km
Johnny Hayes
set a new Olympic record with 2:55:18.4 hours.
's (disqualified) performance was perhaps the most applauded; his finishing time was 2:54:46.4 hours, half a minute ahead of the winner.
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The race was held on July 24, 1908.
The distance was the now-standard length of 26 miles, 385 yards (42 195 m). 75 competitors entered. 55 runners from 16 nations began the race, with 27 athletes (representing 11 nations) finishing.
The most famous incident of the Games came at the end of the event. It occurred when the first runner to enter the stadium, Dorando Pietri
Dorando Pietri
Dorando Pietri, often wrongly spelt Petri was an Italian athlete famous for his dramatic finish and eventual disqualification in the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics held in London.-Early years:Pietri was born in Mandrio, a frazione of Correggio, but spent his youth in Carpi...
of Italy, collapsed several times and ran the wrong way. Not far from the finish-line, two of the officials took him by the arms, and brought him to the line. As a consequence, after crossing the line he was disqualified. The medal went to American Johnny Hayes
Johnny Hayes
John "Johnny" Joseph Hayes was an American athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and winner of the marathon race at the 1908 Summer Olympics...
who was second over the line, but the glory went to Pietri. Since he himself had not been responsible for his disqualification Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
the next day awarded him a gold cup in recognition of his achievement.
Marathons became an annual event in London following the 1908 Olympics. The Polytechnic Marathon
Polytechnic Marathon
The Polytechnic Marathon, often called the Poly, was a marathon held annually between 1909 and 1996, over various courses in or near London. It was the first marathon to be run regularly over the distance of 26 miles, 385 yards which is now the global standard...
was held each year until 1996.
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in hours) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.| World Record | none | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 2:58:50(*) |  Spiridon LouisSpiridon Louis Spyridon Louis was a Greek water-carrier who won the first modern-day Olympic marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming a national hero.... |
Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... (GRE Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... ) |
April 10, 1896 (NS Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter... ) |
| 2:51:23.6(**) |  William SherringWilliam Sherring Billy Sherring was an Irish Canadian athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1906 Intercalated Games .... |
Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... (GRE Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... ) |
May 1, 1906 (NS Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter... ) |
(*) distance 40.0 km
(**) distance 41.86 km
Johnny Hayes
Johnny Hayes
John "Johnny" Joseph Hayes was an American athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and winner of the marathon race at the 1908 Summer Olympics...
set a new Olympic record with 2:55:18.4 hours.
Results
27 runners finished the marathon legally, though Dorando PietriDorando Pietri
Dorando Pietri, often wrongly spelt Petri was an Italian athlete famous for his dramatic finish and eventual disqualification in the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics held in London.-Early years:Pietri was born in Mandrio, a frazione of Correggio, but spent his youth in Carpi...
's (disqualified) performance was perhaps the most applauded; his finishing time was 2:54:46.4 hours, half a minute ahead of the winner.
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:55:18.4 | |
| 2 | 2:56:06.0 | |
| 3 | 2:57:10.4 | |
| 4 | 2:59:44.4 | |
| 5 | 3:01:44.0 | |
| 6 | 3:04:28.2 | |
| 7 | 3:06:47.2 | |
| 8 | 3:07:50.8 | |
| 9 | 3:09:15.0 | |
| 10 | 3:09:50.8 | |
| 11 | 3:12:46.0 | |
| 12 | 3:16:08.6 | |
| 13 | 3:17:30.8 | |
| 14 | 3:17:52.4 | |
| 15 | 3:19:08.8 | |
| 16 | 3:20:07.0 | |
| 17 | 3:20:14.0 | |
| 18 | 3:26:26.2 | |
| 19 | 3:26:38.8 | |
| 20 | 3:28:49.0 | |
| 21 | 3:30:20.8 | |
| 22 | 3:33:26.4 | |
| 23 | 3:47:44.0 | |
| 24 | 3:50:17.0 | |
| 25 | 3:50:30.4 | |
| 26 | 3:53:15.0 | |
| 27 | 4:22:45.0 | |
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| — | DNS | |
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| DISQ | 2:54:46.4 |