Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
Encyclopedia
The men's marathon event was part of the track and field athletics programme
at the 1920 Summer Olympics
. The distance of this race was 42.75 kilometres. The competition was held on Sunday, August 22, 1920.
48 runners from 17 nations competed.
The weather during the race has been described as "cool". An Associated Press
report described the weather as "cold and showery", but "fine running weather for the marathoners".
(*) Distance was 40.2 kilometres
Hannes Kolehmainen
is recognized as having set a new world best with a time of 2'32:35.8 hours. Although the course distance was officially reported to be 42,750 meters/26.56 miles, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians
estimated the course to be only 40 km.
Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics
At the 1920 Summer Olympics held in Antwerp, 29 athletics events were contested, all for men only. The competitions were held from August 15, 1920 to August 23, 1920.-Medal table:-Medal summary:-Participating nations:...
at the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
. The distance of this race was 42.75 kilometres. The competition was held on Sunday, August 22, 1920.
48 runners from 17 nations competed.
The weather during the race has been described as "cool". An Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
report described the weather as "cold and showery", but "fine running weather for the marathoners".
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in hours) prior to the 1920 Summer Olympics.| World Record | 2'36.07 |  Alexis AhlgrenAlexis Ahlgren Alexis Malkolm Ahlgren was a Swedish long-distance runner who on May 31, 1913 set a world best of 2:36:06 at the Polytechnic Marathon. He competed in the men's marathon at the 1912 Summer Olympics but did not finish.... |
London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... (GBR United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it.... ) |
May 31, 1913 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 2'36:54.8(*) |  Ken McArthur |
Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... (SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... ) |
July 14, 1912 |
(*) Distance was 40.2 kilometres
Hannes Kolehmainen
Hannes Kolehmainen
Juho Pietari "Hannes" Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance runner. He is considered to be the first of a generation of great Finnish long distance runners, often named the "Flying Finns". Kolehmainen competed for a number of years in the United States, wearing the Winged Fist of the Irish...
is recognized as having set a new world best with a time of 2'32:35.8 hours. Although the course distance was officially reported to be 42,750 meters/26.56 miles, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians
Association of Road Racing Statisticians
The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road records for standard race distances and to establish...
estimated the course to be only 40 km.
Results
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2'32:35.8 | |
| 2 | 2'32:48.6 | |
| 3 | 2'36:32.8 | |
| 4 | 2'39:25.8 | |
| 5 | 2'40:18.8 | |
| 6 | 2'41:18.0 | |
| 7 | 2'41:30.0 | |
| 8 | 2'41:39.4 | |
| 9 | 2'42:40.0 | |
| 10 | 2'44:02.3 | |
| 11 | 2'44:21.2 | |
| 12 | 2'45:30.0 | |
| 13 | 2'46:47.0 | |
| 14 | 2'48:05.0 | |
| 15 | 2'48:30.0 | |
| 16 | 2'48:45.4 | |
| 17 | 2'49:10.4 | |
| 18 | 2'50:00.2 | |
| 19 | 2'50:45.4 | |
| 20 | 2'51:09.4 | |
| 21 | 2'57:02.0 | |
| 22 | 2'58:01.0 | |
| 23 | 2'59:23.0 | |
| 24 | 2'59:37.0 | |
| 25 | 3'00:04.0 | |
| 26 | 3'00:17.0 | |
| 27 | 3'00:51.0 | |
| 28 | 3'01:48.0 | |
| 29 | 3'02:10.0 | |
| 30 | 3'03:27.0 | |
| 31 | 3'14:25.0 | |
| 32 | 3'14:25.0 | |
| 33 | 3'17:47.0 | |
| 34 | 3'20:00.0 | |
| 35 | 3'55:00.0 | |
| — | DNF | |
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF | ||
| DNF |