![]() One of those runners was Tanzania’s John-Stephen Akhwari, who went on to become an Olympic legend because of his performance that day. Many of the runners had no altitude training and the lack of oxygen led them to exhaustion as they fought to complete - let alone medal - in one of the most challenging races in Olympic history. Raced at an altitude of 2,250m, the Mexico City 1968 was a brutal affair that saw just under a quarter of the field fail to finish the race. Picture by John Stephen Akhwari finishes Olympic marathon at Mexico 1968 Games Mexico City 1968: Altitude causes exhaustion as field crumbles The race was eventually won in the slowest time in Olympic history (3:28:53) by American Tom Hicks, who stated "The terrific hills simply tear a man to pieces." Incredibly, he still finished fourth.Ĭalifornia’s William Garcia was another to succumb to the savage conditions, gulping down so much dust that he suffered a near-fatal stomach haemorrhage. The first over the line, the USA’s Fred Lorz, was disqualified for having hitched a ride for 11 miles of the course, while Cuba's Félix Carvajal’s hunger pangs left him resorting to eating rotten apples that caused his stomach so much pain that he took a nap in the middle of the race. Of the 32 entrants, only 14 finished the race - the lowest number in Olympic history. Added to that, the competitors had only one water stop at their disposal - a roadside well that sat at the 19.3km mark. Louis 1904 marathon began in sweltering heat on an unpaved dust-filled course that made it difficult to breathe. Where do you begin with perhaps the strangest marathon in Olympic history? The St. Louis 1904: Hitchhiking and bad apples highlights of strangest ever race But the standard had been set - with only 9 finishers from an initial field of 17, the Olympic marathon was not a race to ever be taken lightly. To the delight of the home crowd, the winner of the first Olympic marathon was Greece's Spyridon Louis, who braved the dusty roads and fierce ascents and descents to finish in a time of 2:58:50. It goes some way to explaining why France’s Albin Lermusiaux, the early leader of the race, announced confidently while enjoying a glass of wine just past the halfway point that he would win the race, only to drop out at around the 32km point having been brought to a standstill by the gruelling conditions of the race. The first half of the race was relatively flat, but between the 18th and 30th kilometre, the elevation rose to 240m followed by a descent of 200m. While the race was run over a 40km distance, instead of the now-standardised 42.195km, the 14:00pm start time and hot climate made for a challenge in itself. The challenges of the Olympic marathon can be seen from the very first race, which took place at the inaugural Games at Athens 1896. Picture by IOC Athens 1896: Nine finishers from a field of 17 Find out more about some of the most challenging marathons in Olympic history below. However, this isn’t the first time the Olympic marathon race has thrown up new tests that have compelled athletes to adapt to conditions they had not faced before. It promises to be a race that is as challenging as it is unpredictable and exciting. If they are to fight for the gold medal in Paris, athletes will need to prepare themselves for a course that includes a 436m climb and 438 descent with a maximum gradient of 13.5%. This race, more unpredictable than ever, promises to be mythical!” Unlike the mainly flat courses in Berlin and Chicago where Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei set their respective world records, the Paris 2024 marathon route is marked by climbs and descents that will offer up a different type of sporting challenge.Īs former women’s marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe explained: “With its unprecedented course, the Paris 2024 Marathon represents great sporting challenge for the athletes, in a spectacular setting. ![]() It is no wonder then that the race itself has taken on legendary status as one of the toughest challenges on the Olympic programme. ![]() The marathon has its roots in the ancient Greek story of Pheidippides who, as legend has it, ran the 40km from Marathon to Athens in Greece to deliver news of victory in the battle of Marathon, before dying as he announced the triumph. While the original Athens course was around 40km long, the standard 42.195km race was first introduced at the London 1908 Games and became the official distance for world records in 1921. The mythical marathon has been a mainstay of the Olympic programme since the first modern Games at Athens 1896 with the women’s race added at Los Angeles 1984.
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