Background
Hicks, a brass worker from Cambridge, Massachusetts, was born in England.
long-distance runner marathon runner sportsperson
Hicks, a brass worker from Cambridge, Massachusetts, was born in England.
Conditions were bad, the course being a dirt track, with large clouds of dust produced by the accompanying vehicles. Hicks was not the first to cross the finish line, trailing Fred Lorz. However, Lorz had abandoned the race after 9 miles.
After covering much of the course by car, he re-entered the race 5 miles before the finish.
This was discovered by the officials, who disqualified Lorz, who claimed it had been a joke. Had the race been run under current rules, Hicks would also have been disqualified: his assistants had given him a dose of 1/60 of a grain (roughly 1 mg) of strychnine and some brandy (Remy Martin) because he was flagging badly during the race.
The first dose of strychnine did not revive him for long, so he was given another. As a result, he collapsed after crossing the finishing line.
Another dose might have been fatal.
Strychnine is now forbidden for athletes.