CA-K149Culture & sport

Tom Longboat won the 1907 Boston Marathon

Tom Longboat as pictured in the Boston Post, 19 April 1907. Tom Longboat (Boston Post, April 19, 1907) · Unknown authorUnknown author · Photo source · Photo licence: Public domain. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.

Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

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Tom Longboat (1886–1949), an Onondaga athlete from the Six Nations of the Grand River, became the foremost long-distance runner of his time and won the 1907 Boston Marathon. He competed at the 1908 Olympics and was one of the first Canadian athletes to make a living solely from sport.

Scope & context

His running career, not his later First World War service or full biography.

Sources behind this record

Tom Longboat (1886-1949) National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada

Historical importance; plaque text