The 1904 Olympic Marathon in St. Louis wasn't just controversial—it was an absolute disaster that nearly got the event banned from the Olympics forever. Between brazen cheating, accidental poisoning, and runners collapsing from dehydration, this race became the most infamous marathon in Olympic history.
The race took place in scorching 90-degree heat on dusty, unpaved roads with only ONE water station at the 12-mile mark. The Games director mistakenly believed dehydration was beneficial to athletes, so he deliberately restricted water access. This decision alone would prove catastrophic. Of the 32 runners who started, 18 dropped out from sheer exhaustion and dehydration. But those who finished? Their stories are even wilder.
Fred Lorz crossed the finish line first to thunderous applause. President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice was literally placing a gold medal around his neck when someone in the crowd shouted that he'd cheated. Lorz had hitched a ride in a car for 11 miles after cramping up, then hopped out and ran the final stretch. He claimed it was just a "practical joke" and never intended to accept the medal. Officials banned him for life—though they reduced it to six months after he apologized. He went on to win the 1905 Boston Marathon legitimately.
The actual winner? Thomas Hicks was literally dying by the finish line. At the 19-mile mark, his trainers gave him a concoction of strychnine sulfate (rat poison), brandy, and egg whites to keep him moving. Yes, rat poison.
Hicks was hallucinating and had to be physically carried across the finish line by his support crew, his feet shuffling in the air as if still running. He lost 8 pounds during the race and had to be treated by four doctors immediately. He never ran another marathon again. This was the first recorded instance of performance-enhancing drugs in Olympic history. At the time, strychnine was legal and commonly used as a stimulant in small doses. The scandal led to the first Olympic anti-doping rule in 1908.
Cuban mailman Félix Carvajal showed up at the last minute in street clothes after losing all his money gambling in New Orleans. He'd hitchhiked 700 miles to get there. A fellow Olympian took pity and cut his pants into shorts with scissors. During the race, Carvajal got hungry and stole two peaches from a spectator, then stopped at an orchard to eat apples—which turned out to be rotten. The spoiled fruit gave him violent stomach cramps, forcing him to lie down and take a nap mid-race. Despite all this, he still finished fourth.
South African runner Len Taunyane was chased nearly a mile off course by a pack of wild dogs but managed to finish ninth. The course wasn't even closed to traffic—runners had to dodge cars, delivery wagons, trains, and people walking their dogs.
The race was so disastrous that officials seriously considered eliminating the marathon from future Olympics entirely. Instead, they implemented strict new rules about hydration, drugs, and race conditions.
Thomas Hicks' winning time of 3 hours, 28 minutes, 53 seconds remains the slowest in Olympic marathon history—a full half-hour slower than previous winners. Given what these runners endured, it's a miracle anyone finished at all.