From rural back roads near his home on the Six Nations Reserve to the tight turns of crowd-packed Madison Square Garden, Tom Longboat raced his way to fame as the greatest distance runner Canada has ever known. The tall, muscular Onondaga athlete captured the hearts and bets of racing fans everywhere during the early years of this century. Longboat’s amazing career as world champion long-distance runner included spectacular races in Canada, in the 1907 Boston Marathon, the 1908 Olympic Marathon and in pitched one-on-one battles with a handful of world-class professional runners. Everywhere he travelled, thousands gathered to watch the famous Canadian shatter records. Despite his many triumphs, Tom Longboat had to struggle all his life against the vicious racism of his age.

Author: Bruce Kidd