St. Louis’ 1904 Olympic Marathon Debacle

The 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials are right around the corner. The eyes of the country will be on Orlando as the best marathon runners in America will be competing for a spot on the Olympic Team. Several Missourians are expected to compete once again this year. But nothing can ever compare to what happened in St. Louis when the Olympic Marathon was held in the city on August 30th, 1904. These were the first Olympics to give out the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. But it doesn’t really matter when the first man across the finish line cheated and the true winner was drugged out of his mind! Here is the story of St. Louis’ 1904 Olympic Marathon debacle.

The Runners:

32 runners from 4 countries showed up to take part in the first Olympic Marathon in the United States. Some were here for the World’s Fair and decided to run… barefoot! Others had trouble getting to Missouri and arrived just before the race. But on a hot summer day, the competitors lined up at the starting line at Washington University for a place in the history books. Only 14 made it back to the finish line. What happened in between is why some call it the worst race in history. Here are some of the major problems with the race.

Race Time:

The race started around 3:00 in the afternoon as the temperature in St. Louis hit 90 degrees. There were only two water stations set up along the entire course, so health issues were a real factor. One of the water stations was a water tower at mile 6 and a well at mile 12. Not only that, but long stretches of the hilly race route were dirt roads in St. Louis County. As cars would go by, dust would kick up and make it even harder for the runners to breathe.

The Course:

The course was only about 25 miles because the official marathon distance had yet to be standardized.

• It started on the track at Francis Field at Washington University where the runners exited onto Forsyth Road in Clayton.
• West on Forsyth Road to North and South Road.
• South on North and South to Manchester Road in Maplewood.
• West on Manchester Road to Ballas Road through Webster Groves, Rock Hill, Glendale, Kirkwood and Des Peres.
• North on Ballas Road to Clayton Road.
• East on Clayton Road to Denny Road (Lindberg Blvd/Kirkwood Road) through Frontenac.
• North on Denny (Lindberg Blvd) to Olive Street Road through Ladue and Maryland Heights.
• East On Olive to North and South through Olivette and University City.
• South on North and South to Forsyth and back into the stadium.

The Cheating Winner:

The first man to cross the finish line was American Fred Lorz. Lorz had actually quit running at around mile 9, hitched a ride for about 10 miles until the car broke down. He then ran the last few miles into the stadium with a crowd cheering him on thinking he was leading the race. He went ahead and did the final lap around the track and “won.”

Lorz finished with a time of 3:13:00, well ahead of the next runner, Thomas Hicks, at 3:28:53. He had his picture taken with the daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, Alice Roosevelt, before anyone knew what he had just done. She put the ceremonial wreath on his head but hadn’t awarded him the gold medal when rumors started to circulate that something was amiss. He later admitted what had happened and he was disqualified.

The Actual Winner:

American Thomas Hicks turned out to be the actual winner, but even his victory was tarnished. He was fading fast in the final few miles of the race and even laid down on the road. His trainers sprang into action to get him back on his feet — and got him doped up. Hicks was given a cocktail containing strychnine (yes, rat poison) to give him the energy he needed to finish the race.

He nearly faded again closer to the finish, but his trainers upped the ante this time. They gave him more strychnine and mixed it with brandy this time. Hicks finished, but only by his trainers dragging him across the finish line. He was so out of his mind that he didn’t even stop to get his medal.

Commemoration:

There are now historical markers around the St. Louis area to commemorate the route the marathon took on that memorable day in 1904.