Jack Caffery
Encyclopedia
John Peter Caffery (May 21, 1879 – February 2, 1919) was a Canadian
track and field athlete
who competed in the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics
where he finished in 11th place. Caffrey was also a two-time champion of the Boston Marathon
. He won with a time of 2:39:44.4 in 1900 and with a time of 2:29:23.6 in 1901, both of which were course records for the then 25-mile course.
Caffrey was the son of Irish immigrants. He was a teamster
by trade and represented St. Patrick's Athletic Association/St. Patrick's Athletic Club. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario
and died there from complications after falling ill with Spanish flu
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
track and field athlete
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
who competed in the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
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 . 75 competitors entered. 55 runners from 16 nations began the race, with 27 athletes finishing.The most famous incident of...
where he finished in 11th place. Caffrey was also a two-time champion of the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
. He won with a time of 2:39:44.4 in 1900 and with a time of 2:29:23.6 in 1901, both of which were course records for the then 25-mile course.
Caffrey was the son of Irish immigrants. He was a teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
by trade and represented St. Patrick's Athletic Association/St. Patrick's Athletic Club. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
and died there from complications after falling ill with Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
.