CHIEFS & CHAMPIONS – TOM LONGBOAT – DISTANCE RUNNER

Voted the #1 Canadian of the twentieth century by Maclean’s Magazine, Tom Longboat is one of the most celebrated athletes in Canadian history and a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. His running career began in the early 1900’s when in 1907, against rain, slush, tough hills and 104 other entrants Tom Longboat won the Boston Marathon. He became the world’s best distance runner in 1909, after he raced against Englishman Alfie Shrubb. As a dispatch runner in WW1, he carried messages and orders between units, but was never awarded his military pension. His legacy lives on through the prestigious Tom Longboat Award, presented every year to the top Aboriginal athlete.