“Thomas Charles Longboat: The Legendary Indigenous Marathoner Who Redefined Endurance Running”

Bill Davis, a Mohawk (Kanienʼkeháɞ�ka) who lived on the reserve and placed second in the Boston Marathon in 1901, took an interest in Longboat’s running when he was a young boy. In 1905, he started racing and placed second in the Caledonia, Ontario, Victoria Day race. In 1906, he won the Around the Bay Road Race in Hamilton, Ontario, by a margin of three minutes, marking his first significant triumph. He set a record time of 2:24:24 to win the Boston Marathon in 1907.

four minutes and 59 seconds quicker than any of the previous ten winners of the event over the previous 24+1⁄2-mile (39.4-kilometer) course. Along with a number of other top runners, he collapsed during the Olympic Games marathon in 1908. [5] Canadian team manager J. Howard Crocker responded to Longboat’s marathon performance by stating that he was probably “doped,” which explains his collapse and subsequent state. [6] The same year, Madison Square Garden in New York City hosted an Olympic rematch.

Longboat won this race, went pro, and defeated Dorando Pietri and Alfred Shrubb in front of sold-out crowds to win the title of Professional Champion of the World in 1909 at the same location.

His coaches disapproved of the way he alternated strenuous exercises with “active rest” like taking long walks. Although adding “hard,” “easy,” and “recovery” days to training is now common, his promoters disliked these recuperation times when he was a professional, and the sports media frequently called him “lazy.” [7] His circumstances improved after Longboat bought out his contract due to this and other disagreements with his managers.

After 1909, Longboat started to experience knee and back problems. Reporters and fans frequently blamed “Indian laziness” for his sporadic poor performance, even though this was well known. Sportswriters’ public perception of Longboat was influenced by the false rumors that Longboat trained infrequently, which were spread by Longboat’s former manager, Tom Flanagan. [8] Reporters also criticized him when he was given a suspended sentence for drunkenness in Toronto in 1911.