James Duffy ( athlete ) Jimmy McNiff / Duffy ( born May 1 , 1890 , in County Sligo , Ireland – died April 23 , 1915 , outside Ypres , Belgium ) was a distance runner from Canada , one of the world ' s best marathon runners at the beginning of the 20th century . He participated in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm and was the winner of the 1914 Boston Marathon . Born in Ireland , Duffy grew up in Edinburgh , Scotland after moving there with his family as a child . According to his own later account , Duffy participated in cross - country races in Scotland , winning many of them . In 1911 he emigrated to Canada , where he worked in Toronto as a tinsmith and stonecutter . In his spare time he visited the Central YMCA , the director of which quickly recognized his talent . Representing the Central YMCA , Duffy came in second in the 1911 Ward Marathon , a twenty - mile event in Toronto . During the race Duffy stopped to argue with supporters of another runner . In May 1912 , he ran the Spectator Marathon in Hamilton , Ontario , which served that year as the Canadian Olympic trial . The race , which was reduced to nineteen miles , was run in exceedingly hot and humid weather . Only eight of twenty - five starters finished the race . Duffy himself had overestimated his strength , but qualified for the Olympics by finishing in second place behind Harry Jensen of the United States , who passed him in the final mile and won by twenty seconds . Representing the Eaton Athletic Club of Toronto , Duffy placed fifth in the marathon at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm , which also took place in very high temperatures , resulting in the death of Portuguese runner Francisco Lázaro . In October 1912 Duffy won both the Ward Marathon and the Hamilton Herald ' s race around Hamilton Bay , setting a new course record in the latter event . After the Hamilton Bay race Duffy accepted full - time coaching from athletic trainer Tommy Thomson , who persuaded him to relocate to Hamilton , where he joined the Ramblers Club . With Thomson as trainer , Duffy won seven consecutive marathons , including one in Yonkers , New York . On April 20 , 1914 , Duffy won the Boston Marathon in 2 : 25 : 01 . His success had gotten around and he was so much the favorite that the Boston bookmaker s would not take high bets on his victory . The race developed into a thriller , with fellow Canadian runner Édouard Fabre matching Duffy ' s pace throughout . Only in the final mile did Duffy gain a small lead , winning the race by fifteen seconds . Duffy ' s first request after his victory was for a cigarette , and after his post - race medical examination he asked for a bottle of beer . After the Boston Marathon Duffy turned professional , losing his first professional race to Édouard Fabre . Duffy enlisted in the Canadian Army at the outbreak of World War I . He joined the 91st Argyle Regiment and was subsequently transferred to the 16th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force . Duffy was killed in a charge against the Germans while serving with the 16th Battalion in the Second Battle of Ypres on April 23 , 1915 , eight days before his twenty - fifth birthday and four days after Édouard Fabre won the 1915 Boston Marathon .