On: Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics: Men's Marat...

[oldgradstudent]

Sadly, none of the runners would have qualified to participate in the next Boston Marathon with these results.

The improvements in running performance of amateur runners is amazing.

https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/qualify

Edit: As bizarre as the competition was in other respects, even the world record at the time would barely qualify.

[alistairSH → oldgradstudent]

Pretty amazing isn't it? Those 1904 times are achievable by many dedicated amateurs (as indicated by the Boston qualifying time requirements). Not just mid-pack pros, but true amateurs who never competed at the elite level.

[mrguyorama → alistairSH]

Several contestants in 1904 were just dudes who happened to be in the area and thought a quick marathon would be a fun diversion!