The Craziest Olympic Marathon Ever | Smartest Year Ever (Apr 21, 2025)

In today’s Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the wildest Olympic race of all time—the 1904 Olympic Marathon in St. Louis, Missouri, a chaotic, dusty disaster full of cars, poison, and unbelievable cheating.

From runners collapsing in 90-degree heat with no water, to a guy literally riding in a car for part of the race… and still almost winning—this event was absolute madness.

Even the official winner, Thomas Hicks, was dosed with strychnine—yes, the poison used to kill rats—mixed with brandy and egg whites to keep him going. He was hallucinating, carried across the finish line, and still declared the gold medalist.

This episode reveals the bizarre early history of performance-enhancing drugs, Olympic rule chaos, and why this race almost killed people—including its winner.

Was this the most ridiculous race in Olympic history? You decide.

Sources:

• Lennartz, K., & Teutenberg, W. (2004). The 1904 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. McFarland.
  

• Wallechinsky, D., & Loucky, J. (2012). The Complete Book of the Olympics. Aurum Press.
  

• The Guardian. (2012, July 30). Olympic scandal: the 1904 marathon was pure mayhem. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jul/30/olympics-2012-1904-marathon
  

• Smithsonian Magazine. (n.d.). The 1904 Olympic Marathon May Have Been the Strangest Ever. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-strangest-ever-180952747/
  

• International Olympic Committee. (n.d.). History of Doping Control. https://olympics.com/ioc/medical-and-scientific-commission
  

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