First Boston Marathon – Monday, April 19, 1897John J. McDermott, representing the Pastime Athletic Club from New York City, captured the first running of the Boston Marathon, then known as the B.A.A. Road Race. Fifteen runners started the first race with 10 finishing the 24.5-mile trek from Metcalf’s Mill in Ashland, Massachusetts, to the finish line at the Oval on Irvington Street in downtown Boston. McDermott, who had won the only other marathon on U.S. soil the previous October in New York, took the lead from Harvard athlete Richard Grant over the hills in Newton. Although McDermott walked several times during the final miles, he still won by a comfortable six-minute, 52-second margin in 2:55:10.

1. John J. McDermott (NY)	2:55:10		6. John Mason (NY)	3:31:00
2. James J. Kiernan (NY)	3:02:02		7. W. Ryan (MA)	3:41:25
3. Edward P. Rhell (MA)	3:06:02		8. Lawrence Brignolia (MA)	4:06:12
4. Hamilton Gray (NY)	3:11:37		9. Harry Franklin (MA)	4:08:00
5. H. D. Eggleston (NY)	3:17:50		10. A. T. Howe (MA)	4:10:00

Second Boston Marathon – Tuesday, April 19, 1898The second running of the B.A.A. Road Race attracted 21 starters and witnessed 15 runners successfully completing the distance. Canadian Ronald J. MacDonald, a 22-year-old Boston College student, who donned bicycle shoes for his first marathon attempt, overtook New York cross-country champion Hamilton Gray with just over two miles remaining, before crossing the line in a triumphant 2:42:00. His time was considered a world-best performance for the marathon at the time. Defending champion John J. McDermott was fourth (2:54:17),

1. Ronald J. MacDonald (CAN)	2:42:00		6. Eugene Estoppey, Jr. (NY)	2:58:49
2. Hamilton Gray (NY)	2:45:00		7. D. J. Grant (NY)	3:08:55
3. Robert A. McLennon (MA)	2:48:02		8. John Mason (NY)	3:09:30
4. John J. McDermott (NY)	2:54:17		9. D. Harrigan (MA)	3:09:30
5. Lawrence Brignolia (MA)	2:55:49		10. J. E. Enwright (NY)	3:16:20

Third Boston Marathon – Wednesday, April 19, 1899At 173 pounds, Cambridge blacksmith Lawrence Brignolia is the heaviest runner ever to win the Boston Marathon. Brignolia, who seemed suited to tackle the strong gale-like winds that hampered runners the entire way, caught Harvard alumnus Richard Grant on the Newton hills, and finished in 2:54:38. The strength of the winds reportedly caused Brignolia to step on a loose stone and fall during his approach to Kenmore Square. Stopping to regain his composure, Brignolia walked and ran the remaining distance to the new finish line on Exeter Street, in front of the B.A.A. clubhouse.

1. Lawrence Brignolia (MA)	2:54:38		6. Eugene Estoppey, Jr. (NY)	3:18:34
2. Richard Grant (MA)	2:57:46		7. D. J. Sullivan (MA)	3:21:30
3. B. F. Sullivan (MA)	3:02:01		8. J. O. Lynch (NY)	3:23:55
4. John B. Maguire (MA)	3:02:29		9. J. H. Kelly (NY)	3:30:12
5. R. F. Hallen (NY)	3:04:59		10. J. E. Enwright (NY)	3:39:15

Fourth Boston Marathon – Thursday, April 19, 1900
Following the success of Ronald J. MacDonald in 1898, Canadian runners began to establish themselves in the marathon. Led by John P. Caffery of Hamilton, Ontario, the Canadian runners finished 1-2-3 as countrymen Bill Sheering and Fred Hughson followed Caffery across the finish line. Caffery finished in 2:39:44 after overtaking Sheering in Auburndale, 16 miles into the race. The race was marked by the only false start in event history as Canadian John Barnard “jumped the gun” and the runners had to be reassembled at the start.

1. John P. Caffery (CAN)	2:39:44		6. Thomas J. Hicks (MA)	3:07:19
2. William Sheering (CAN)	2:41:31		7. B. F. Sullivan (MA)	3:13:20
3. Fred Hughson (CAN)	2:49:08		8. Richard Grant (MA)	3:13:57
4. John B. Maguire (MA)	2:51:36		9. E. G. Russell, Jr. (NY)	Unknown
5. James Fay (MA)	2:55:07		10. Chester Torrance (NY)	Unknown

Fifth Boston Marathon – Friday, April 19, 1901
John P. Caffery became the first repeat winner of the Boston Marathon, posting a record time of 2:29:23. Canadian Fred Hughson, who was third the year before, set the early pace only to be caught by Caffery near the halfway mark in Wellesley Square. William Davis, a Mohawk Native American whom Caffery had brought with him from Canada, finished second as 1898 champion Ronald J. MacDonald exited the race at Cleveland Circle. Rumors that MacDonald had been drugged were widely circulated and the topic of much discussion. John Vrazanis, a Greek runner who was eventually forced to drop out due to severe blisters, was the first non-North American to enter the Boston Marathon.

1. John P. Caffery (CAN)	2:29:23		6. Thomas J. Hicks (MA)	2:55:40
2. William Davis (CAN)	2:34:45		7. P. Lorden (MA)	2:55:49
3. Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. (NY)	2:44:34		8. James McAuliffe (MA)	2:56:44
4. C. Crimmins (MA)	2:47:15		9. E. Grusell, Jr. (NY)	3:02:20
5. John C. Lorden (MA)	2:52:32		10. J. J. Kennedy (MA)	Unknown

Sixth Boston Marathon – Saturday, April 19, 1902Samuel A. Mellor, Jr., third the previous year, raced to a relatively easy 2:43:12 victory as two-time defending champion John P. Caffery was forced to withdraw just prior to the start due to dysentery. With a record field of 50 entries (42 starters), Mellor pulled away from 1898 winner Ronald J. MacDonald just over 12 miles into the race and won by two minutes over J. J. Kennedy of Massachusetts. Charlie Moody, a 16-year-old from Brighton High School, finished fourth in 3:03:47.

1. Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. (NY)	2:43:12		6. Ernest Poole (MA)	3:07:14
2. J. J. Kennedy (MA)	2:45:21		7. E. F. O’Brien, Jr. (MA)	3:09:15
3. John C. Lorden (MA)	2:54:49		8. W. H. Hunter (CT)	3:09:50
4. Charlie Moody (MA)	3:03:47		9. J. Flynn (MA)	3:13:15
5. Carl D. Schlobohm (NY)	3:05:49		10. Arthur Ziegler (NY)	3:30:20

Seventh Boston Marathon – Monday, April 20, 1903Nobody expected Cambridge’s John C. Lorden to win this year, not with the likes of defending champion Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. and two-time champion John P. Caffery set to do battle. Once Lorden put to rest the leg cramps that had bothered him early in the race, he began his pursuit of the two leaders. Caffery withdrew well into the Newton hills. Lorden caught Mellor with less than three miles to go and won by nearly six minutes in 2:41:29.

1. John C. Lorden (MA)	2:41:29		6. Arthur Ziegler (NY)	3:01:53
2. Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. (NY)	2:47:13		7. Edward Fay (MA)	3:04:50
3. Michael Spring (NY)	2:53:01		8. John S. Hunt (MA)	3:06:40
4. Frederick Lorz (NY)	2:53:42		9. John Leadbetter (MA)	3:08:14
5. J. J. Donovan (NY)	3:01:37		10. John P. Coakley (MA)	3:10:47

Eighth Boston Marathon – Tuesday, April 19, 1904
Once again Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. led from the start, but this time it was Michael Spring, the third-place finisher from the previous year, who led the charge over the final miles. Spring, a 21-year-old clerk from New York, had let Mellor build nearly a four-minute lead by the time he had reached 20 miles. As Mellor faded over the final three miles, five runners passed the tired 1902 champion, with Spring hitting the tape in 2:38:04.

1. Michael Spring (NY)	2:38:04		6. Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. (NY)	2:44:43
2. Thomas J. Hicks (MA)	2:39:34		7. J. Easley (MA)	2:46:30
3. Thomas F. Cook (MA)	2:42:35		8. Dennis Bennett (CAN)	2:50:35
4. Carl D. Schlobohm (NY)	2:43:40		9. F. A. Perreault (MA)	2:52:45
5. Frederick Lorz (NY)	2:44:00		10. John S. Hunt (MA)	2:53:15

Ninth Boston Marathon — Wednesday, April 19, 1905A record field of 84 entrants saw U.S. Olympian Fredrick Lorz run himself into near-exhaustion while winning in 2:38:25. Lorz, who had been accused of cheating the year before in the Olympic Marathon at St. Louis, caught Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. with five miles to go after Mellor had set a record pace throughout the early portion of the race. Defending champion Michael Spring was one of the 78 starters who did not finish.

1. Frederick Lorz (NY)	2:38:25		6. David J. Kneeland (MA)	2:48:32
2. Louis Marks (NY)	2:39:50		7. Thomas J. Sullivan (MA)	2:52:47
3. Robert A. Fowler (MA)	2:41:07		8. John J. Kennedy (MA)	2:53:17
4. H. F. Miller (MA)	2:42:44		9. Martin J. O’Neil (MA)	2:53:56
5. E. S. Farnsworth (MA)	2:43:01		10. John S. Hunt (MA)	2:54:51

10th Boston Marathon — Thursday, April 19, 1906The race had its youngest winner ever and closest finish to date as Timothy Ford, an 18-year-old runner from Cambridge, crossed the line in 2:45:45 — a scant six seconds better than Roxbury’s David J. Kneeland. Ford was a post entry, the last on the list of 86 starters. At first, race officials rejected him as an entrant because he had not submitted an application. One mile from the finish, Ford caught the 24-year-old Kneeland and edged ahead. Again, Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. was among the leaders for 13 miles before being overtaken by Kneeland and others at Wellesley Hills.

1. Timothy Ford (MA)	2:45:45		6. Martin J. O’Neil (MA)	2:56:55
2. David J. Kneeland (MA)	2:45:51		7. Thomas J. Sullivan (MA)	3:02:06
3. Thomas P. Morrissey (NY)	2:53:41		8. Ben Mann (CT)	3:02:06
4. P. Laffargue (NY)	2:53:56		9. W. R. Prouty (MA)	3:07:11
5. John J. Hayes (NY)	2:55:38		10. Harry Brawley (MA)	3:08:11

11th Boston Marathon — Friday, April 19, 1907Thomas Longboat of the Onandaga First Nations, from Hamilton, Ontario, established a course best in his only Boston appearance. Longboat and Bostonian James J. Lee set a brisk pace that led a contingent of six runners past the railroad crossing in South Framingham. Once past, a freight train blocked the path of the remaining runners, enabling the pack to build an insurmountable lead. Longboat survived the sleet and rain to win by more than three minutes. American John J. Hayes, the 1908 Olympic Marathon gold medalist, was third.

1. Thomas Longboat (CAN)	2:24:24		6. Charles E. Petch (CAN)	2:36:47
2. Robert A. Fowler (MA)	2:27:54		7. Sidney Hatch (IL)	2:37:11
3. John J. Hayes (NY)	2:30:38		8. John Neary (MA)	2:37:59
4. James W. O’Mara (MA)	2:35:37		9. John Lindquist (NY)	2:38:58
5. James J. Lee (MA)	2:36:04		10. Carl D. Schlobohm (NY)	2:42:02

12th Boston Marathon — Monday, April 20, 1908New Yorker Thomas P. Morrissey (2:25:43) edged John J. Hayes in a great battle that left only 21 seconds between the two at the finish and saw the first five runners finish within a span of two minutes. Under a bleak sky and accompanied by snow, an early pace was set by Arthur McDonald and New England 10-mile champion Roy Welton of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Morrissey overtook third-place finisher Robert A. Fowler after Cleveland Circle, and Hayes came on strong to capture second in 2:26:04.

1. Thomas P. Morrissey (NY)	2:25:43		6. James J. Lee (MA)	2:28:34
2. John J. Hayes (NY)	2:26:04		7. Frederick Lorz (NY)	2:32:20
3. Robert A. Fowler (MA)	2:26:42		8. Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. (NY)	2:41:17
4. Michael J. Ryan (NY)	2:27:08		9. A. Roy Welton (MA)	2:43:25
5. W. Wood (MA)	2:27:48		10. John J. Goff (MA)	2:43:54

13th Boston Marathon — Monday, April 19, 1909Although a record of 164 runners answered the starter’s gun, the biggest story was the heat, which saw the temperature climb to 97 degrees. The intolerable conditions forced 91 entrants to exit early, and allowed the lead to change hands on nine occasions through 20 miles. New Hampshire mill hand Henri Renaud emerged from the fray to claim victory. He passed through Framingham in 53rd place, and, with two miles remaining, passed a weary Harry Jensen. Only Renaud was able to keep running without stopping over the final miles.

1. Henri Renaud (NH)	2:53:36		6. Joseph P. McHugh (MA)	3:01:52
2. Harry Jensen (NY)	2:57:13		7. Edward G. Ryder (MA)	3:02:48
3. Patrick J. Grant (NY)	2:57:17		8. Carl D. Schlobohm (NY)	3:06:10
4. James F. Crowley (NY)	2:59:42		9. Edward L. McTiernan (MA)	3:08:08
5. Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. (NY)	3:00:53		10. Robert A. Fowler (MA)	3:09:31

14th Boston Marathon — Tuesday, April 19, 1910Fred S. Cameron from Amherst, Nova Scotia, won the race in 2:28:52 by slipping out front early and was never seriously challenged. This race marked the first appearance of the legendary Clarence H. DeMar, who made a late rush to finish second, one minute behind Cameron. DeMar would go on to win this race a record seven times. Defending champion Henri Renaud was 24th, while 1902 winner Samuel A. Mellor, Jr. finished 34th.

1. Fred S. Cameron (CAN)	2:28:52		6. John J. Reynolds (NJ)	2:40:03
2. Clarence H. DeMar (MA)	2:29:52		7. R. E. MacCormack (CAN)	2:40:25
3. James J. Corkery (CAN)	2:34:25		8. Edwin A. White (NY)	2:40:50
4. John R. Roe (CAN)	2:38:06		9. E. P. Devlin (NY)	2:41:34
5. Michael J. Ryan (NY)	2:38:24		10. James Cleary (MA)	2:44:58

15th Boston Marathon — Wednesday, April 19, 1911Clarence H. DeMar, competing against the wishes of doctors who told him not to run due to a heart murmur, smashed Tom Longboat’s course best with a superb 2:21:39 performance. This was the first of DeMar’s seven Boston wins. However, heeding medical advice, he would not compete again until 1917. DeMar trailed Festus Madden by 250 yards, before pulling even through the hills and taking control at Newton Centre.

1. Clarence H. DeMar (MA)	2:21:39		6.Daniel Sheridan (VT)	2:31:44
2. Festus Madden (MA)	2:24:31		7. Albert Harrop (MA)	2:32:31
3. Edouard Fabre (CAN)	2:29:22		8. William Galvin (NY)	2:33:10
4. Robert A. Fowler (MA)	2:29:31		9. Michael J. Ryan (NY)	2:36:15
5. Richard F. Piggott (MA)	2:30:45		10. Joseph M. Lorden (MA)	2:36:33