Every Olympic Games has its share of controversy and a unique brand of bizarre that delights even casual sports fans every four years.
The 2024 Paris events had internationally panned displays of breakdancing and electrified spectators with Olympic debuts on the track. And 120 years ago, the 1904 St. Louis Games introduced iconic competitions such as boxing, freestyle wrestling, decathlon and an underwhelming event called “plunge for distance” involving participants diving into the water to sink as far as possible without arm or leg propulsion.
But few Olympics can out-crazy the 1904 Games hosted in St. Louis, especially the most absurd marathon race in Olympic history.
Adam Kloppe, public historian at the Missouri Historical Society, told St. Louis on the Air that the Olympic games were not nearly as big a deal during the turn of the 20th century compared to now. That allowed for more foolishness, like treating the marathon as an opportunity to experiment with purposeful dehydration.
“The people who organized the marathon also thought of themselves as scientists and only set up two water stations for the entirety of the Olympic marathon course,” Kloppe said. “Imagine running 20-plus miles in St. Louis August heat and you only get two drinks of water the whole time. Most of the athletes ended up dropping out of the event, quitting in the middle.”
The marathon course ran through what’s now part of Washington University’s main campus and was open to traffic during the competition. The dust, traffic and overall confusion further complicated the event and allowed at least one competitor to hitch a ride to the finish line.
And that’s not even the craziest story.
“[Thomas Hicks], the guy who ends up winning the marathon — his trainers gave him a mixture of egg whites, strychnine and brandy just to give him some calories so that he’d finish the race,” Kloppe said. “It was just a way to see if [they could] get his muscles moving again. It was a big mess of an event.”
For more fascinating facts and St. Louis’ influence on the Olympic games, including the first African American athlete to medal who went on to teach at Sumner High School, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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