The 1904 Summer Olympics marathon in St. Louis remains the most bizarre athletic event in modern history. Run on dusty, unpaved country roads in 90-degree heat with only a single water station available, the race was less a sporting competition and more an exercise in extreme survival.
American runner Fred Lorz suffered severe cramps early on, hitched a ride in an automobile for 11 miles, and casually walked across the finish line to claim victory before admitting it was a prank. Meanwhile, Felix Carvajal, a Cuban mailman who raised money to travel to the games by running across his homeland, lost his funds in New Orleans gambling and arrived in St. Louis wearing street clothes.
Hungry during the race, Carvajal stopped in an orchard, ate spoiled apples, suffered stomach cramps, took a nap mid-race, and still managed to finish fourth. The actual winner, Thomas Hicks, barely survived the course: his handlers fed him a toxic cocktail of strychnine, raw egg whites, and brandy to keep him moving. Hicks collapsed after crossing the line, requiring four doctors to revive him before he could collect his medal.
Out of 32 starters, only 14 finished, resulting in the lowest completion percentage in Olympic marathon history.