# Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics

At the 1904 Summer Olympics, twenty-five athletics events were contested. A total of 74 medals (25 gold, 25 silver and 24 bronze) were awarded.
Multi-event competitions, the all-around and triathlon, were introduced, along with a 56-pound weight throw, while the short steeplechase was lengthened slightly from 2500 to 2590 metres, the team race was lengthened from 5000 meters to 4 miles (6,437 m), and the long steeplechase was dropped.
In all, the 25 events featured in 1904 were two more than were held in 1900.
A track was built specifically for the Games on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The track was a cinder track 1⁄3 mile (536.448m) in length, with one long straightaway.

## Medal summary

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 60 metres details | Archie Hahn United States | 7.0 WR | William Hogenson United States | 7.2 | Fay Moulton United States | 7.2 |
| 100 metres details | Archie Hahn United States | 11.0 | Nate Cartmell United States | 11.2 | William Hogenson United States | 11.2 |
| 200 metres details | Archie Hahn United States | 21.6 OR | Nate Cartmell United States | 21.9 | William Hogenson United States | Unknown |
| 400 metres details | Harry Hillman United States | 49.2 OR | Frank Waller United States | 49.9 | Herman Groman United States | 50.0 |
| 800 metres details | James Lightbody United States | 1:56.0 OR | Howard Valentine United States | 1:56.3 | Emil Breitkreutz United States | 1:56.4 |
| 1500 metres details | James Lightbody United States | 4:05.4 WR | Frank Verner United States | 4:06.8 | Lacey Hearn United States | Unknown |
| Marathon details | Thomas Hicks United States | 3:28:53 | Albert Corey France | 3:34:52 | Arthur Newton United States | 3:47:33 |
| 110 metres hurdles details | Fred Schule United States | 16.0 | Thaddeus Shideler United States | 16.3 | Lesley Ashburner United States | 16.4 |
| 200 metres hurdles details | Harry Hillman United States | 24.6 | Frank Castleman United States | 24.9 | George Poage United States | Unknown |
| 400 metres hurdles details | Harry Hillman United States | 53.0 OR | Frank Waller United States | 53.2 | George Poage United States | 56.8 |
| 2590 metres steeplechase details | James Lightbody United States | 7:39.6 | John Daly Great Britain | 7:40.6 | Arthur Newton United States | 7:45.6 |
| 4 miles team race details | United States (USA) New York AC Arthur Newton George Underwood Paul Pilgrim Howard Valentine David Munson | 27 pts | Mixed team (ZZX) Chicago AA James Lightbody Frank Verner Lacey Hearn Albert Corey (FRA) Sidney Hatch | 28 pts | none awarded | none awarded |
| Long jump details | Myer Prinstein United States | 7.34 m OR | Daniel Frank United States | 6.89 m | Robert Stangland United States | 6.88 m |
| Triple jump details | Myer Prinstein United States | 14.32 m | Fred Englehardt United States | 13.90 m | Robert Stangland United States | 13.36 m |
| High jump details | Samuel Jones United States | 1.80 m | Garrett Serviss United States | 1.77 m | Paul Weinstein Germany | 1.77 m |
| Pole vault details | Charles Dvorak United States | 3.50 m OR | LeRoy Samse United States | 3.35 m | Louis Wilkins United States | 3.35 m |
| Standing long jump details | Ray Ewry United States | 3.47 m WR | Charles King United States | 3.27 m | John Biller United States | 3.25 m |
| Standing triple jump details | Ray Ewry United States | 10.54 m | Charles King United States | 10.16 m | Joseph Stadler United States | 9.60 m |
| Standing high jump details | Ray Ewry United States | 1.60 m | Joseph Stadler United States | 1.44 m | Lawson Robertson United States | 1.44 m |
| Shot put details | Ralph Rose United States | 14.81 m WR | Wesley Coe United States | 14.40 m | Lawrence Feuerbach United States | 13.37 m |
| Discus throw details | Martin Sheridan United States | 39.28 m OR | Ralph Rose United States | 39.28 m OR | Nicolaos Georgandas Greece | 37.68 m |
| Hammer throw details | John Flanagan United States | 51.23 m OR | John DeWitt United States | 50.26 m | Ralph Rose United States | 45.73 m |
| 56 pound weight throw details | Étienne Desmarteau Canada | 10.46 m | John Flanagan United States | 10.16 m | James Mitchell United States | 10.13 m |
| Triathlon details | Max Emmerich United States | 35.7 pts | John Grieb United States | 34.0 pts | William Merz United States | 32.9 pts |
| All-around details | Tom Kiely Great Britain | 6036 pts | Adam Gunn United States | 5907 pts | Truxtun Hare United States | 5813 pts |

## Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States | 23 | 22 | 22 | 67 |
| 2 | Great Britain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | France | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Mixed team | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Greece | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (7 entries) | Totals (7 entries) | 25 | 25 | 24 | 74 |

## Participating nations

233 athletes from 11 nations competed. This figure includes the athletic triathlon event, which some sources exclude.
* Australia (2)
* Canada (5)
* Cuba (1)
* France (1)
* Germany (9)
* Great Britain (3)
* Greece (10)
* Hungary (2)
* South Africa (3)
* Switzerland (1)
* United States (196)

## Marathon

The marathon is widely regarded as one of the most bizarre events of the Games. It was run in brutally hot weather, over dusty roads, with horses and automobiles clearing the way and creating dust clouds.
The first to arrive at the finish line was Frederick Lorz, who actually rode the rest of the way in a car to retrieve his clothes, after dropping out after nine miles, but after the car broke down at the 20th mile, he re-entered the race and jogged back to the finish line.
As officials and fans believed he had won the race, Lorz played along with his practical joke until he was found out shortly before the medal ceremony. He admitted the ruse, and was banned for life by the AAU; however, after Lorz apologized for this stunt and it was found he had no intention to defraud, he was reinstated, and won the 1905 Boston Marathon.
Thomas Hicks was the first to the finish legally, after having received from his trainers several doses of strychnine sulfate (a common rat poison, which stimulates the nervous system in small doses) mixed with egg whites and brandy. While he was supported by his trainers when he crossed the finish line, he is still considered the winner: Hicks had to be carried off the track on a stretcher, and possibly would have died in the stadium had he not been treated by several doctors. He lost eight pounds during the course of the marathon.
A Cuban postman named Felix Carvajal joined the marathon, arriving at the last minute. He had to run in street clothes that a fellow runner cut around the legs to make them look like shorts. He stopped off in an orchard en route to have a snack on some apples which turned out to be rotten, and caused him to have to lie down and take a nap. Despite falling ill from the apples, he finished in fourth place.