In 1907, an Onondaga runner from the Six Nations Reserve became the most famous athlete in North America. Tom Longboat possessed speed that baffled medical experts and captivated the public. Yet his foot races were only the beginning of his struggle for survival.
He went from smashing world records to sprinting through the trenches of World War I, where officers officially declared him dead twice. This is the account of a man who conquered the Boston Marathon and walked back home after his family had already received news of his demise.
The Boston Record Breaker
Longboat exploded onto the international scene at the 1907 Boston Marathon. The race took place in brutal conditions with sleet and snow covering the roads. While other competitors faltered in the freezing mud, Longboat accelerated.
He defeated 102 rivals and crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 24 seconds. This time was not just a win. It shattered the previous course record by a massive five minutes. The victory turned him into a global superstar instantly. Crowds of 200,000 people gathered in Toronto to welcome him home.
The Olympic Collapse and Professional Fame
At the 1908 London Olympics, officials and gamblers heavily favored Longboat to win gold. He ran well for the first 30 kilometers (19 miles). However, in the intense heat, he suddenly collapsed. Doctors on the scene diagnosed him with sunstroke.
Other reports suggested his manager had given him a stimulant overdose of strychnine. Following the Olympic disappointment, Longboat turned professional. He raced against the best runners in the world in sold-out arenas like Madison Square Garden. In 1909, he won the title of “Professional Champion of the World” in a marathon held in New York City.
Sprinting Through the Trenches
When World War I began, Longboat left his lucrative racing career to enlist in the Canadian Army. He joined the 107th Pioneer Battalion and served as a dispatch runner. This was one of the most dangerous jobs on the Western Front.
It required him to sprint messages between command posts while dodging enemy sniper fire and heavy shelling. He used his athletic speed to survive where others perished. During his service in France and Belgium, he was wounded twice. Due to communication errors during the chaos of battle, the military officially declared him dead on two separate occasions.
The Return from the Dead
Longboat survived the war and returned to Canada in 1919. Upon his arrival, he discovered that the rumors of his death had reached his home before he did. His wife, believing the official military reports that he had been killed in action, had remarried.
Longboat accepted the reality of the situation and eventually remarried himself. He took a job with the City of Toronto shortly after. The man who had once been the fastest runner in the world spent his remaining years working in the street cleaning department. He walked the same streets where thousands had once cheered for him, quiet and alive.