Johnny Miles

Career

Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, he moved with his family to Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia. At age 11 he supported his family by working in the coal mines. Miles was employed delivering groceries throughout the countryside by horse and wagon.

To stay in shape he would run behind the wagon wearing heavy boots.

This would be Miles"s debut marathon, having never run a race longer than 10 miles. Miles arrived at the marathon as an unknown, competing in a handmade singlet adorned with a maple leaf and the letters "Nova Scotia" for Nova Scotia and a pair of 98-cent sneakers.

Stenroos attempted to break away after the first few miles, leaving DeMar behind. Miles stayed with him until Heartbreak Hill, at which point he passed him.

Miles completed the race in a time of 2:25:40.

His time was so fast that the course was remeasured and found to be 176 yards short. Miles competed in two more, never finishing higher than 10th. He represented Canada at the 1928 Summer Olympics and finished 17th in the 1928 Olympic marathon.

Four years later at the 1932 Summer Olympics he finished 14th in the Olympic marathon race.

After the 1932 Olympics, Miles retired from competition and become an executive with International Harvester in Hamilton, Ontario. He was inducted into Canada"s Sports Hall of Fame and the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.

Miles died at age 97 in Hamilton, Ontario. Since 1975 the Johnny Miles Marathon has been held in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in his honour.

An annual 5K race is also held in his honour in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia.

Sydney Mines also displays his image on a sign at the entrance of the town and a statue of Miles is displayed on Main Saint

Achievements

• He won the Boston Marathon in 1926 and 1929. As a teenager he won local races. He won the Canadian five-mile (8 km) championship in 1925 and finished third in the one-mile later that day. He also won the Halifax Herald 10-mile (16 km) competition in the same year. In 1926 Miles"s neighbours raised a few hundred dollars to send him to the Boston Marathon by train. The field at the 1926 Boston Marathon included four-time winner Clarence DeMar and 1924 Olympic champion Albin Stenroos, whom Miles idolized. Miles attempted to defend his title at the 1927 Boston Marathon, but dropped out early due to problems with his shoes. In 1929 Miles returned to Boston and won the marathon in a time of 2:33:08. Between his two wins in Boston, Miles won the Canadian 10000 metre championship in 1928. He later won a bronze medal in the marathon at the 1930 British Empire Games. In 1982, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. At the time of his death, he was Canada"s oldest living Olympic athlete and the oldest Boston Marathon winner.