Page 40 - Summer2016Gazette

38
Dorando Pietri

A modern Roman Olympic hero

Good heavens, he has fainted:
is it possible that even at this
last moment the prize may
slip through his fingers? ….
Then a great sigh of relief
goes up....Thank God, he is
on his feet again....There is
a groan as he falls once more
and a cheer as he staggers
again to his feet....Again,
for a hundred yards, he ran
in the same furious and yet Pietri being helped over the finishing line at the 1908 Olympic Marathon.
uncertain gait. Then again he Pagliani. A few days later disqualified after being
collapsed, kind hands saving Pietri débuted in a distance helped over the finishing
him from a heavy fall. race, finishing second in the line at the end of the 1908
3,000 meters of Bologna. The Olympic Marathon in
following year he achieved London. The event was held
Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, the his first international success, on a hot summer day in the
creator of Sherlock Holmes, winning the 30 km in Paris afternoon with temperatures
writing for the Daily Mail and attaining the credentials reaching 91˚ Fahrenheit,
had expressed it thus about needed to become a genuine enough to produce a
the dramatic events of 24 July Olympic competitor. high level of fatigue and
1908 when an Italian distance On 2 April 1906 Pietri won dehydration later on.
runner had entered the White the qualifying marathon Pietri began his race at a
City Stadium aiming to win for the unofficial Olympic rather slow pace, but in the
the Olympic Marathon. His Games to be held in Athens second half of the course
name was Dorando Pietri. that same year. In the accelerated to move into
Gaining a reputation Olympic race he retired due second position after 20
to intestinal illness when he
He had for four years been was leading by 5 minutes. miles, 4 minutes behind
gaining a reputation as a In 1907 he won the Italian South African Charles
highly promising distance championships, and was by Hefferon. When he sensed
runner. In September 1904, then the undisputed leader that Hefferon was struggling,
whilst working as a shop of Italian long distance Pietri further increased his
assistant, Pietri was attracted races from 5000 meters to pace, overtaking him at the
to an event in Carpi in which marathon distance. 24 mile mark.
the most famous Italian The effort took its toll and
runner of the time, Pericle Going in the wrong direction with only two kilometers to
Pagliani, was due to compete. He went on to compete on go, Pietri began to feel the
Still wearing his work clothes, the official games in London effects of extreme fatigue and
he ran to finish ahead of in 1908 and be famously dehydration. When he entered