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A century has passed since he stunned the world with his win at the Boston Marathon, but to this day many athletes continue to be inspired by the unforgettable Tom Longboat.
Longboat quickly became an international star after winning the Boston Marathon in world record time on April 19, 1907, beating the previously posted record by five minutes.
Born on the Six Nations reserve on June 4, 1887, Longboat was a member of the Onondaga Nation.
He competed in his first competitive race at the 1905 annual Victoria Day five-mile race in Caledonia. A year later, he beat out John Marsh, an English favourite, in Hamilton's Around the Bay road race.
He went on to compete in many more mile races and marathons, shattering world records along the way, and becoming known as the greatest distance runner ever seen.
For current-day athletes like Jason Loutitt, a marathoner and mountain runner, Tom Longboat's success as a runner, and all that he accomplished, "is truly incredible."
"Longboat kind of did what hadn't been done before," Jason said. "It hadn't been done before he accomplished it and it hasn't been done since he accomplished it.
"He owned every record between the mile and the marathon and to be able to perform on both levels is something unheard of. To be a marathon runner and still be good at the mile distance, it just can't be done. There's certain ways your body can develop. But he was the world champion at all those disciplines at one time."
When the First World War broke out, Longboat enlisted, but still continued to race-in competitions and exhibition matches set up for the forces, and in his role as a dispatch runner, delivering messages between posts when communications were down.
When he returned home after the war, he found that professional racing was not what it once was, and he walked away from racing for good, but his many accomplishments have stood the test of time and he is still considered a role model by many of today's...