Dorando Pietri

liverpool annie · Nov 20, 2009

Not quite WW1 ... but a deserving athlete don't you think ??

Dorando Pietri, a baker from Carpi in Italy, won the hearts of the British public after he was disqualified in the 1908 London Olympic marathon.
As he entered the White City stadium Dorando was completely unknown, but when the news of what happened in the next few minutes spread around the world, he would become an international celebrity.
Beginning a final lap around the track he was cheered vigorously by the crowd, but immediately it became clear that something was wrong.
Dazed & confused, Dorando headed in the wrong direction. Officials redirected him but then he collapsed. Helped to his feet, he collapsed again…and again… and again.
An official - holding the megaphone - lifted up Dorando and helped him across the finish line.
He was disqualified for receiving outside aid but his ‘plucky’ effort was to make him ‘world famous’, the memorable story of the 1908 games.
In recognition of his efforts – and with popular backing – Alexandra, Queen of England presented him with a special consolation gold cup.

The winner… John Hayes of the United States
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liverpool annie · Nov 20, 2009

John Hayes ......

Although the 1908 Olympic marathon is best remembered for the disqualification of Pietri, this does less than justice to John Hayes, who was correctly determined to be the champion, and was an excellent marathon runner in his own right. He had been born in America soon after his parents emigrated from Ireland, and his initial success came when he took third place in the 1907 Boston Marathon. Later in the season he won the Yonkers Marathon then, by finishing second in the 1908 Boston race, Hayes won a spot on the Olympic team.

After his Olympic victory, Hayes paid a brief visit to his grandparents in Ireland and then returned to New York where Bloomingdale's had plastered their department store with photographs of Hayes and announced that their employee, who had been rumored to train on the store track on the roof, had been promoted to manager of sporting goods. Years later, Hayes laid to rest this oft-repeated bit of Olympic lore. He never did actually work at Bloomingdale's, or train on the roof. He drew a salary from Bloomingdale's but most of his time was spent training at a track outside Manhattan.

Hayes was interviewed on the night of the race, "I took nothing to eat or drink on the journey. I think to do so is a great mistake. Before starting I partook of a light lunch, consisting of two ounces of beef, two slices of toast and a sup of tea. During the race I merely bathed my face with Florida water and gargled my throat with brandy.

"I ran my own race throughout, covering in almost mechanical fashion the first five or six miles at a rate of six minutes a mile. After that I went as hard as I could to the finish. Ten miles from home I was ten minutes behind the leader, and then I began to go through the field. I passed Hefferon on nearing the Stadium, but saw nothing of Dorando until I entered the arena. I do not smoke and I drink only in moderation."

Hefferon also commented, "The conditions of the race - weather, roads, &c. - suited me exactly, and I should have won the event. Two miles from home, however, I accepted a draught of champagne and this mistake cost me the race. The drink gave me a cramp a mile from the finish and then I lost my lead."
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Dorando Pietri

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