Tom Longboat
First Indigenous Person to Win the Boston Marathon
Long-distance runner and Olympic athlete Thomas Charles Longboat (1886-1949) hailed from the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario. Tom Longboat was an Onondaga distance runner from Six Nations of the Grand River. One of the most famous athletes of the early 20th century, Longboat pioneered training methods still used today. He is considered one of the first celebrity athletes in Canada, with his athletic successes known across North America and overseas. [...] Longboat was the first Indigenous person to win the Boston Marathon (1907). He competed for Canada at the 1908 Olympic Games. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame."
