The bad old days of the Olympics

 Michael - Alternate Thursdays.

Everyone’s thoughts are on the Olympics at the moment, and I was wondering about when Africa started to be involved. I found a recent article in The Conversation about the first black Africans who took part in the Olympics by Sports Historian Francois Cleophas. They were Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani of the Tswana group of South Africa, and they participated in the marathon at the 1904 games in St. Louis. I was interested in how they came to be there in the first place, or whether they went specifically for the marathon. (You can read the article from The Conversation HERE.)

Jan Mashiani (left) and Len Taunyane (right)

It’s an interesting story. The two men were veterans of the Boer War and had developed their long-distance running ability as messengers between scattered commando groups on the Boer side. (The Boer War is always thought of as a battle between the white farmer-settlers (boers) and the white soldiers from the UK. In fact, a large number of black African people served in various capacities on both sides.) The men were not in St. Louis for the Olympics at all, but rather as participants in reenactments of battles from the Boer War as part of the St. Louis World Fair.  Taunyane was, in fact, interred on St Helena island by the British for part of the war. The other black athlete, Jan Mashiani, was there for the same reason. There was also a white South African, B.W. Harris, who was there for the Olympic marathon race, and the story goes that he persuaded Taunyane and Mashiani to enter for the event also. There were no heats to run, times to measure, national organizations to satisfy. They entered.

Len Taunyane on St. Helena

None of the three men formally represented South Africa since it was only a British colony at the time.

The marathon in 1904 was a very casually organized affair. Someone had designed an almost impossible course of nearly 25 miles over dusty dirt roads through and around the city. One official at the time described it as “the most difficult [course] a human being was ever asked to run over”. Perhaps it suited the South Africans in terms of their war backgrounds, but it suited no one else. Based on accounts from the time, Wikipedia describes the course as follows: “The course had seven hills, varying from 100 to 300 feet high, some with brutally long ascents. In many places, cracked stone was strewn across the roadway, creating perilous footing. The men had to constantly dodge crosstown traffic, delivery wagons, railroad trains, trolley cars and people walking their dogs. Cars carrying coaches and physicians motored alongside the runners, kicking the dust up and launching coughing spells.” 

The whole affair took place in 90-degree heat. As a further twist, someone decided it would be interesting to see how the competitors behaved if they were only allowed water once during the run. So there was just one spot – about halfway through the race – where water was made available.

Some of the competitors before the race

Given this bizarre setup, it’s hardly surprising that the whole event deteriorated into a fiasco. Several of the runners had serious medical problems as a result of the dust and awful conditions and had to drop out. Others (including the South African Harris) became exhausted and just gave up. Thirty-two men started but only fourteen finished the race.

First across the finish line was Fred Lorz in an excellent time. However, he admitted that his victory was only a joke. Hit by cramps after nine miles, he’d hitched a ride in an automobile, cheerfully waving to other participants as he passed! The organizers were not amused and Lorz was disqualified. The eventual winner was Thomas Hicks. His support team (allowed at that time) fed him on egg whites and strychnine (supposedly a stimulant) to keep him going. When he begged for water, it was refused and he was given brandy instead. Eventually, two of his team members had to walk the poor wretch across the finish line to claim his win. By that time, he was hallucinating and thought he still had twenty miles to go.

Hicks' seconds help him across the line

As for Taunyane and Mashiani, their days delivering messages over long distances and in all conditions paid off. Both finished the tortuous race. Taunyane finished in ninth place, but that underestimated his ability. He was chased about a mile off course by a vicious dog, no doubt to the amusement of the spectators. Jan Mashiani finished twelfth.

The event was such a farce that the Olympic Committee nearly dropped the marathon event for good.

Happily, things have changed a bit in the last 120 years. Complaints at the Paris Olympics seem fairly tame by comparison. The food is too “green” (i.e. too little meat), and the pool is too “slow” (i.e. too shallow). Computers run the show, and the Olympic "flame" is a mist and light display cauldron held up by a balloon. 

Africa has claimed the marathon many times since 1904. Keep an eye on it on the 10^th and 11^th.

Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya
Marathon winner 2016, 2020

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