Background
Blake was born on January 26, 1872 in Boston, Massachusetts.
long-distance runner marathon runner middle-distance runner sportsperson
Blake was born on January 26, 1872 in Boston, Massachusetts.
At the 1896 Olympics, the 1500 meters was run in a single heat, and Blake came in second to Edwin Flack of Australia. The race was a tight one, as Flack and Blake overtook the then-leader, Albin Lermusiaux, in the final straight and ran side-by-side nearly all the way to the finish. Flack proved the quicker, however, and finished in 4:33.2.
This was less than a second faster than Blake"s time of 4:33.6.
He also ran in the final event of the Games, the marathon. Blake, the only American entrant in the race, was in third place to Lermusiaux and Flack throughout the first half of the race.
After 23 kilometres, however, Blake was unable to continue and quit the race. In the 1984 National Broadcasting Company miniseries, The First Olympics: Athens 1896 he was portrayed by Alex Hyde-White.