The Race of the Century

Not only was it the worst marathon in Olympic history, but you would be hard-pressed to find another event that was as scandalously bad as the 1904 marathon. This is no slight on (most of) the men who competed, because it would seem as if the race were bad by design: the organizer of the Games, James E. Sullivan, wasn’t looking for the glory of competition and sportsmanship at his games, but rather evidence of white supremacy. Deprived of water, running under a blazing sun on dusty, hilly roads: it’s a miracle that fourteen of the initial thirty-two competitors even completed the event. The story of this race and the athletes who took part is ludicrous, unedifying, and a terribly good time.