The 1904 Olympic Marathon: The First Great Cheat

Most people would say no. But in 1904, one runner did exactly that. He rode in a car for eleven miles, then ran to the finish line. And for a few minutes, he was the Olympic champion.大多数人会说不会。但在 1904 年，真有一位跑者这么干了。他坐车走了十一英里，然后跑向终点。有那么几分钟，他就是奥运冠军。

People did notice. But the race was so strange that a car almost seemed normal.有人发现了。但那场比赛太奇怪了，一辆车几乎都显得正常。

The 1904 Olympics were in St. Louis, in the United States. The marathon was 26 miles long. The roads were dusty and hot. There was almost no water.1904 年奥运会在美国圣路易斯举行。马拉松全程 26 英里。道路尘土飞扬，天气炎热。几乎没有水。

One water station. That was it. And the dust was so thick that some runners coughed for days.只有一个供水站。就这样。尘土厚到有些跑者咳了好几天。

32 runners started. Only 14 finished. And the people who ran were not all athletes.32 名跑者出发，只有 14 人完赛。而且参赛的人并不都是运动员。

One was a Cuban postman. One was a South African soldier. And one was a man named Fred Lorz, who worked in construction.一位是古巴邮差。一位是南非士兵。还有一位叫弗雷德·洛尔兹，是搞建筑的。

Around mile nine, his legs hurt badly. He stopped and got into a car that was following the race.跑到第九英里左右，他的腿疼得厉害。他停下来，上了一辆跟着比赛走的车。

His manager's, probably. Some reports say it was a friend's. The point is, he was in a car, and the car was moving.可能是他经纪人的。也有报道说是朋友的。关键是，他在一辆车里，而车在往前开。

Yes. For eleven miles. Then the car broke down. So he got out and started running again.是的，开了十一英里。然后车坏了。于是他下车，又开始跑。

He did. The crowd cheered. A band played. Alice Roosevelt, the president's daughter, was ready to put a gold medal around his neck.没错。人群欢呼，乐队演奏。总统的女儿爱丽丝·罗斯福正准备把金牌挂到他脖子上。

Almost everyone. Then a spectator ran out of the crowd. She had seen him get into the car.几乎所有人都信了。然后一名观众从人群里冲出来。她看见他上了那辆车。

She told the officials. They asked Fred about it. And he said, "It was a joke."她告诉了官员。他们去问弗雷德。他说：“这是个玩笑。”

He said he only wanted to entertain the crowd. But the officials did not laugh. They banned him from racing for life.他说他只是想让观众开心。但官员们没笑。他们终身禁止他参赛。

Thomas Hicks, an American runner. But his win is a strange one too.美国跑者托马斯·希克斯。但他的胜利也很奇怪。

His helpers gave him brandy and a drug called strychnine. Strychnine is poison, but in small amounts it can wake up your body.他的助手给了他白兰地和一种叫士的宁的药。士的宁是毒药，但少量能刺激身体。

Twice. The second time, he was almost unconscious. His men carried him over the line.两次。第二次时，他几乎失去意识。他的人是把他抬过线的。

It was legal then. There were no rules about drugs. But today, it would be a scandal.当时这是合法的。那时没有关于药物的规则。但今天，这会是丑闻。

That is my favorite part. Félix Carvajal came to St. Louis to run. But he had very little money.这是我最喜欢的部分。费利克斯·卡瓦哈尔来圣路易斯参赛。但他没什么钱。

Long street trousers, a white shirt, and heavy shoes. Someone cut his trousers shorter with a knife just before the race.长街裤、白衬衫，还有一双沉重的鞋。比赛前有人用刀把他的裤子剪短了。

Really. And during the race, he got hungry. He saw an apple tree and stopped to eat.真的。比赛途中，他饿了。他看到一棵苹果树，就停下来吃。

The apples were rotten. He got a terrible stomach ache. Then he lay down and took a nap.那些苹果烂了。他肚子疼得厉害。然后他躺下睡了一觉。

Not long. But long enough. He still finished fourth. The crowd loved him.没多久。但足够久了。他还是拿了第四名。观众很喜欢他。

Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani were the first Black Africans to compete in the Olympics. They were in St. Louis for another event, then joined the marathon.伦·陶尼恩和扬·马希亚尼是第一批参加奥运会的非洲黑人。他们本来是来圣路易斯参加别的活动的，后来加入了马拉松。

Mashiani finished ninth. Taunyane probably would have done better, but a dog chased him off the road.马希亚尼拿了第九。陶尼恩本来可能更好，但一只狗把他追离了赛道。

And dust, heat, and almost no water. It was less like a race and more like a test of survival.还有尘土、高温，几乎没有水。它不太像比赛，更像一场生存测试。

That is the twist. The ban was lifted the next year. And in 1905, Fred Lorz won the Boston Marathon.转折来了。第二年，禁令就取消了。1905 年，弗雷德·洛尔兹赢了波士顿马拉松。

He did. This time, on his own legs. People said he trained hard and ran honestly.是的。这一次，靠他自己的腿。人们说他刻苦训练，跑得很诚实。

Maybe. But think about the others. Hicks won with poison in his body. Carvajal lost time eating apples and still came fourth. And Fred, the cheater, is the one people still remember.也许吧。但想想其他人。希克斯是带着毒药赢的。卡瓦哈尔吃苹果耽误了时间，还拿了第四。而弗雷德，那个作弊的人，才是人们至今记得的那个。

Maybe the better question is who did not. Thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.也许更好的问题是：谁没有作弊。谢谢收听，我们下期见。