1898 Boston Marathon Explained

Competition:1898 Boston Marathon
Date:April 19, 1898 (Patriots' Day)
Venue:Ashland to Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Competitors:24
Men:Ronald MacDonald
Men Win Value:2:42
Prev:1897
Next:1899

The 1898 Boston Marathon, contemporarily referred to as the Boston Athletic Association's annual marathon race, was the second edition of the marathon race that became known as the Boston Marathon. It took place on April 19, 1898, from Ashland to Boston, Massachusetts, over a distance of 24.5mile.

A contemporary report in The Boston Globe stated 24 runners started the race, although 25 entrants were listed. The Boston Athletic Association states there were 24 runners.[1]

Results

The top five finishers were:

Position Athlete RepresentingTime
1 Cambridgeport Gymnasium Athletic Association 2:42
2 Hamilton Gray St. George A.C., New York 2:45
3 R. A. McLean East Boston Athletic Association 2:48:02
4 Pastime A.C., New York 2:54:
5 2:55:
MacDonald, from Nova Scotia, became the first Canadian winner of the race.

McDermott was the defending champion from 1897.

Dick Grant also competed and finished in seventh place.[2]

Source:[3] [4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History . BAA.org . . April 18, 2023.
  2. Book: Derderian, Tom. Boston Marathon: The History of the World's Premier Running Event. Human Kinetics. 1994. 0-87322-491-4. Champaign IL. 8–10.
  3. News: McDonald Won the Race . . 12 . April 19, 1898 . April 19, 2023 . newspapers.com.
  4. News: (results) . . 7 . April 20, 1898 . April 19, 2023 . newspapers.com.