by Barbara Huebner
Nine years after the Boston Athletic Association was founded, six of its members won gold medals in the first modern Olympic Games. While in Athens in 1896, the men from the B.A.A. were so inspired by the majesty of that first Olympic marathon that, not long after returning home, they chose a stretch of road west of the city that mimicked the tough Olympic course and gave birth in 1897 to the Boston Marathon, now the oldest annual marathon in the world.
The B.A.A’s historic ties to the US Olympic Trials are just as deep, and go back almost as far. Between 1908 and 1960, no U.S. Olympic Marathon Team was chosen without relying directly on the results of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon. Indeed, Boston has been used as a selection race – in combination with at least one other race each Olympiad -- for 50 percent of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Teams ever named, and for 12 of 14 teams before a discrete, single-race format was adopted in 1968. (For the first three Olympic Games, teams were not chosen; rather, marathoners competed by their own choice.) Of the U.S. team members selected from the Boston races, six went on to finish in the Top 10 in the Olympics, including a bronze and a gold medallist.
The Boston Marathon as an Olympic Selection or Trials Race
1908
a. BOSTON, MA; April 20, 1908
b. ST. LOUIS, MO; May 2, 1908
“Finally a trial meet was held. Actually, there were two, and the results of neither were binding. The marathoners were chosen based on the results of two races: the B.A.A. Marathon held in Boston (April 20), and the Missouri Athletic Club marathon held in St. Louis (May 2).” 2
1912
a. BOSTON, MA; April 19, (24 miles, 1232 yards)
b. NEW YORK, NY; May 4, 1912 (12 miles)
c. ST. LOUIS, MO; May 4, 1912
“Again, trials were held, and again their results were not binding. The marathon squad composed of six of the top ten finishers from Boston, held on April 19. Several other distance races were used to select some other runners. Among these were the Missouri Athletic Club Marathon in St. Louis (May 4), the New York Evening Mail’s ‘modified-marathon’ (about 12 miles) also held on May 4.” 2 A marathon near Los Angeles may have also been factored into the selection, but the Boston Marathon was the principal selection race.
1916
The 1916 Olympic Games were cancelled due to WWI.
1920
a. BROOKLYN, NY; Feb, 23, 1920
b. DETROIT, MI; April 3, 1920 (short course)
c. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1920 (39,140m)
d. NEW YORK, NY; June 5, 1920
“The marathon team was chosen based on the results of four separate races: the Seagate Marathon held in Brooklyn (February 23), the Auto-City Marathon held in Detroit (April 3), the Boston Marathon (April 19), and the New York Marathon (June 5).” 2
1924
a. BALTIMORE, MD; March 8, 1924
b. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1924 (42,043m)
“The six marathoners were basically chosen on the results of the Boston Marathon, held on April 19. The first five finishers were ‘guaranteed’ places on the team, while Ralph Williams and Frank Zuna were chosen to compete for the sixth spot, based on their training progress. On June 25, a 16-mile trial was run and Williams quit at three miles. Charles Mellor was ordered to quit as he was quite thin and dehydrated quickly on the hot day. Carl Linder and Zuna finished the race. But the head track and field coach and the chairman of the selection committee both disagreed with marathon coach, Mike Ryan. They felt Linder had no chance to win the Olympic marathon but that Williams did. Thus, Linder did not start. And Williams did not finish.” 2
1928
a. BOSTON, MA (AAU); April 19, 1928
b. NEW YORK, NY; May 19, 1928
c. BALTIMORE, MD; June 2, 1928
“There were three marathons used to guide the selection committee in their choice: the Boston Marathon, which doubled in 1928 as the AAU Championship (April 19), the New York-to-Long Beach Marathon (May 19), and the Chesapeake Bay Marathon with started near Baltimore (June 2).” 2
1932
a. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1932
b. BALTIMORE, MD; May 28, 1932
c. LOS ANGELES, CA; June 25, 1932
“The marathon squad was picked based on the results of three races: Boston (April 19), Baltimore (May 28), and Los Angeles (June 25). The winners of the three races automatically made the team.” 2
1936
a. BOSTON, MA; April 20, 1936
b. WASHINGTON, DC (AAU); May 30, 1936
“Two marathons served as trial races: Boston (April 20), and the AAU championship in Washington, DC on May 30.” 2
1940
“Although the Olympic Games were cancelled for 1940, there was one winner at the 1940 Olympic trials, even though it was a victory mostly earned in 1939. The 1940 Marathon Trials was based on the results of two ’39 races – Boston and the AAU, plus Boston for 1940.” 1
a. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1939
b. YONKERS, NY (AAU); November 12, 1939
c. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1940
“The Games did not take place and the track and field trials were eventually cancelled. However, the marathon trials were still held and three athletes were designated as ‘Olympic marathoners.’ For the first time a point-for-place system was used (one point for 1st, two points for 2nd, etc.) with the three top placers overall being named to the Olympic team. Three races were designated as the marathon selection races: 1939 Boston (April 19), 1939 AAU (November 12), and the 1940 Boston Marathon (April 19).” 2
1940 & 1944
The 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games were cancelled due to WWII.
1948
a. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1947
b. YONKERS, NY (AAU); October 26, 1947
c. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1948
“The marathon runners were chosen from the results of three races: the 1947 Boston race (April 19), the 1947 AAU race (October 26), and the 1948 Boston race (April 19). A point-for-place system in the three races was once again used. The winner of the 1948 Boston race was an automatic selection, with the next two best on the point system also being chosen.” 2
1952
a. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1951
b. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1952
c. YONKERS (AAU), NY; May 18, 1952
“The marathon trial races were essentially the same as in 1948: 1951 Boston (April 19), 1952 Boston (April 19), and the 1952 AAU race (May 18). The same marathon selection system as in 1948 was used, with the winner of the 1952 AAU championship being an automatic selection. There were problems with the selection, however. The first two places were set, as Victor Dyrgall won both 1952 races, and Tom Jones finished 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd in the three races, to qualify easily. John Lafferty had finishes of 2nd, 5th, and 11th for a total of 18 points overall, while Ted Corbitt and Edo Romagnoli both had totals of 22 points overall. But, switching to the system which was used in 1948 (but had not been implemented for 1952), which counted only runners who ran all three races, and citing the fact that Corbitt had beaten Lafferty and Romagnoli in both 1952 races, the committee chose Corbitt.” 2
1956
a. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1956 (40,456 m)
b. YONKERS, NY (AAU); September 30, 1956
“The marathoners were selected on the basis of two races: Boston (April 19), and the AAU race (September 30). A point system was set up, but the same three runners were the top three Americans in both races.” 2
1960
a. BOSTON, MA; April 19, 1960
b. YONKERS, NY (AAU); May 22, 1960
“There were two races chosen as marathon trials, Boston (April 19), and the AAU Championship (May 22). However this caused great problems. In 1960, the top American marathoner was clearly John J. Kelley (“The Younger”). He won the AAU championship easily, but had been forced to drop out of the Boston race with a heel blister. AAU policy in that year demanded that the marathoners finish both races in order to be selected for the Olympic team. When Kelley dropped out of Boston, discretion became the better part of valor, and the ruling was rescinded. Based on the point system, which was supposedly again in use, the unfortunate athlete who had actually qualified was Robert Cons, who had finished 4th at Yonkers and 8th at Boston.” 2
1 Information is from USA Track & Field’s publication: The History of the U.S. Olympic Trials - Track & Field by Richard Hymans, ATFS © 2004.
2 Information is from The Athletics Congress of the USA (now USA Track & Field) publication: 1984 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Media Guide by Bill Mallon,© 1984.  |
