Losers by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2020-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

The 1908 Olympic Marathon

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

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Editors’ Note: Most know of British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as a master of mysteries, but the creator of Sherlock Holmes was also on hand to cover one of running history’s biggest moments, Dorando Pietri’s controversial finish at the marathon at the 1908 London Olympics. The modern Olympic Games were only twelve years old, but anticipation ran high around the race, which was then, and now, seen as a brutal test of endurance.

Pietri, running for Italy, did not lead during the first leg of the much-watched race, which began at Windsor Castle under the eyes of members of the British royal family and snaked through the streets of London. But in the second half, Pietri pushed to the front of the pack, only to hit the walls of dehydration and fatigue, villains known to countless runners through the ages. Whenever Pietri fell or lost his way on the course, at least once before a packed stadium of fans, umpires helped him back up and steered him back on track. With assistance at least four different times, Pietri crossed the finish line first just ahead of American Johnny Hayes and basked in the win. Hayes later challenged Pietri’s results, and the Italian was disqualified, thus making Hayes the somewhat anticlimactic gold medalist.

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