John Lordan
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John Charles Lordan (or Lorden) (born June 30, 1874, or June 29, 1876, died February 12, 1960) was an American
long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...
who won the 1903
Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...
and competed in the marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. Born in Murragh, Cork, Ireland. Lordan was trained by fellow Cantabridgian Tad Gormley. After finishing fifth in 1901 and third in 1902, Lordan finished ahead of Sammy Mellor and Michael Spring to win the 1903 Boston Marathon in a time of 2:41:29, At the
1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 1 July to 23 November 1904. Many events were conducted ...
, condition were very warm during the marathon and Lordon was reported to have begun vomiting within the first half mile of the race. He did not finish the competition. The next year, he entered the Boston Marathon but finished twelfth in a time of 2:57:51. He was an Irish immigrant who worked as a shipping agent for a manufacturing company in Cambridge. He trained at night only because of his job. On August 18, 1909, Lorden raced a marathon in St. John’s, Newfoundland against his former teammate and 1898 Boston Marathon champion Ronald MacDonald on a six-lap-to-the-mile track at St. Bonaventure's College before 3,000 spectators. MacDonald was four laps behind at the twenty mile mark when Lorden " hit the wall." At the end, MacDonald finished 40 yards and ten seconds ahead of Lorden, in a time of 3:07:50 over 25 miles (40 km). A monument was erected in his home town, Bandon, Co. Cork, to commemorate his victory in the Boston Marathon of 1903.


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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lordan, John 1870s births 1960 deaths American male long-distance runners Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1904 Summer Olympics American male marathon runners Boston Marathon male winners Sportspeople from Bandon, County Cork Sportspeople from Cambridge, Massachusetts Irish emigrants to the United States 20th-century American sportsmen