1912 Stockholm: First drama of Jo
| DATED |
WINNER |
AGE |
STARTERS |
WITHDRAWALS |
| Sunday, July 14 at 1:48 p.m. |
Kenneth Mc Arthur (South Africa) |
30 years |
68 including 19 countries |
34 (50%) |
| The race was run under very hot weather, the course presented no particular topographic difficulty. |
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Until now, and despite the many twists and dramas that have already taken place at previous Olympic marathons, never had there been deaths. This time the marathon had its first death case the Portuguese Francisco Lazaro. Guilty, the terrible and unexpected heat that hit Sweden during the marathon ran full afternoon. Yet the Swedish who are farsighted people wanted to avoid désatre previous games with the arrival of Dorando Pietri including London. So they had required medical certificates competitors, aid stations were provided with medical teams on standby and alert in ambulances. Borrowed roads had been swept and watered to prevent dust, followers are no longer allowed, and all traffic was banned one hour before and one hour after the riders. Only the tropical heat, we must say unusual Stockholm, had not been considered. 18th to 25th km, the Portuguese did not seem overly upset, but the thirtieth kilometer he began to stagger before collapsing, he was immediately transported to the hospital but nothing helped.
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| I died the early hours of Monday morning, no doubt suffered a partial asphyxiation because of the fat he had had the unfortunate idea to go to the body to protect from the sun and which prevented his skin breathe. Yet Portugal had three championship titles to his credit. Pierre de Coubertin went to the bedside of the dying and a big mobilization was then league to collect a considerable sum for the benefit of his widow.
The race This event shows the difficulty of the race because of the heat that many athletes were the victims, since nearly half of the athletes were forced to retire, but there were two boys who fired formidably their game the south Africans Kenneth Mc Arthur and Christopher Gitsham. The latter two were probably more used to these temperatures that favored the probably especially against the Finnish athletes who were part of the most serious candidates for victory at that time. One of them, Tatu Kolehmainen (whose brother Hannes won three gold medals in cross, 10000m and 5000m), took the race in hand pretty quickly. His other brother Willie had a professional career in the United States and had returned with a rich knowledge brand new training material he shared with his brother. Kolehmainen became join shortly before the midterm located in Sollentuna where Gitsham took the lead with 15 "ahead of Kolehmainen and 35" Mc Arthur, Lord was fourth at 50 "and Italian Speroni 5th at 1'15" who received this place a bucket of water over his head as most of his followers .. on the strength back Gitsham pace to crack Kolehmainen and McArthur. Despite the heat, the two South Africans seemed more at ease and it was bound to happen, the Finn is let go, taking her even such a blow to morale that does not finish the race. The fight for victory seems to have to pass between the two compatriots.
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McArthur carried in triumph.
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In third place was Strobino Gaston, a young American engineer of 21 who had promised his mother before leaving the US to finish the race at all costs. He had made towards the end of the race an incredible comeback after a cautious start. American athletes were well prepared by Michael Murphy and former winner of London John Hayes, arrived in Sweden they had resumed training who managed four years earlier and who was to travel several times the full marathon distance.
The glass of water too It is three kilometers from the finish that will decide the victory of Mc Arthur, not on acceleration but on a racing. Gitcham and McArthur going together for a long time when Gitsham, convinced that his teammate was going to wait, stops to drink a glass of water. Instead of waiting, Mc Arthur file at full speed. Glancing furtively glances over his shoulder, it was really quiet once the finish line. While he was at the entrance to the home straight, Gitsham, apparently in better condition than he had penetrated to turn the stadium.
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| Just arrived, Gitsham complained bitterly of betrayal, "he said he would wait for me while I drink it, but he did not," replied what McArthur: "I was come to win or die, the water does not interest me. " In third place came next Strobino whose feet were bleeding but had kept the promise made to his mother. It was for him the first but also the only marathon of his career.
World record of the slowest marathon !! The story most crazy (he had a good !!) came from Japanese Kanaguri (it was also the first Japanese participation in the Olympics). Towards the thirtieth kilometer, he noticed a spectator drinking on his doorstep. Compassionate viewers invited him home to take some rest. Kanaguri lay down on the sofa to finally do wake up in the next day. They had not missed in his absence to worry about his disappearance, an ad to find him was launched at the microphone on the stage. When a wanted notice appeared in the local newspaper, he had already left discreetly in Japan. He returned to Stockholm in 1967, when it became an important leader of athletics in the country. Maliciously, his Swedish hosts proposed to resume the race where he left off, which he did without being asked, becoming somehow classified 35th after crossing the finish line in 54 years, 8 months, 32 '20 "and 3/10. What could be better?
McArthur was born in Northern Ireland in 1882, policeman by trade, he had won the five marathons in which he participated in his adopted country. To commemorate the race, the Swedish Olympic Committee erected a monument to Sollentuna, to the place where competitors had turned around. A Swedish carrier offered a block of granite, and architect Torben Grut in for free was a Doric column, about 7m high, with a rectangular stone. On this stone was engraved with a cross, above, this simple dates "1912" and the word marathon inscribed front and back, and on the north face "round" written in Swedish.
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The start
The runners leaving the stadium.
Christian Gitsham finishing in second place.
Ken McArthur at the entrance of the stadium.
Gaston Strobino finishing in third place.
