Tom Longboat

Tom Longboat, an Onondaga from Six Nations, was born June 4, 1887. At nineteen, he won his first 15-mile race, by a full three minutes. Then on April 19, 1907, against rain, slush, tough hills and 104 other entrants, Longboat won the Boston Marathon. At the 1908 Olympics he competed in the marathon event but collapsed just before the 20th mile amid rumours that he had been doped. In 1909, he raced against Englishman Alfie Shrubb, won, and became the world’s best distance runner. As a dispatch runner in WW1, he carried messages and orders between units, but was never awarded his pension.

Voted the #1 Canadian of the twentieth century by Maclean’s Magazine, Tom is one of the most celebrated athletes in Canadian history. His legacy lives on through the prestigious Tom Longboat Award, presented every year to the top Aboriginal athlete. Tom Longboat is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.