Henry Pearce won all the races he participated in easily defeating his first opponent by 12 lengths and his second by 8 lengths. He went on to defeat all his opponents, finally winning the gold medal and becoming the first
Australian to do so. He even broke the record by being 25 seconds faster than the previous record.
20. During the marathon of the 1904 Olympics, one participant took a lift in a car; the one who finished first took rat poison as a nerve stimulant and almost died; one took ill after eating rotten apples, had to take a nap and yet came fourth; and one was chased for a mile by aggressive dogs.
To be fair to the participants, the day was very hot and the marathon was conducted over uneven roads with dust in the air when horses and automobiles passed. The participant who took the car after nine miles into the marathon re-entered the race when the car broke down after 19 miles. He just let the judges think he won the race, enjoying his practical joke, until they found out at the medal ceremony. The winner of the marathon, Hicks, had to be supported by his trainers as he got to the finish line because of the rat poison.