1898 Boston Marathon

1898 Boston Marathon
Winner Ronald MacDonald
Venue	Ashland to Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Date	April 19, 1898 (Patriots' Day)
Competitors	24
Champions
Men	Ronald MacDonald (2:42)

The 1898 Boston Marathon, contemporarily referred to as the Boston Athletic Association's annual marathon race,^[1] was the second edition of the marathon race that became known as the Boston Marathon. It took place on April 19, 1898, from Ashland to Boston, Massachusetts, over a distance of 24.5 miles (39.4 km).^[2]

A contemporary report in The Boston Globe stated 24 runners started the race, although 25 entrants were listed.^[1] The Boston Athletic Association states there were 24 runners.^[2]

Results

The top five finishers were:

Position	Athlete	Representing	Time
1	Ronald MacDonald†	Cambridgeport Gymnasium Athletic Association	2:42
2	Hamilton Gray	St. George A.C., New York	2:45
3	R. A. McLean	East Boston Athletic Association	2:48:02
4	John McDermott‡	Pastime A.C., New York	2:54:17+2⁄5
5	Lawrence Brignolia	Bradford Boat Club, Cambridge, Massachusetts	2:55:49+2⁄5

† MacDonald, from Nova Scotia, became the first Canadian winner of the race.

‡ McDermott was the defending champion from 1897.

Dick Grant also competed and finished in seventh place.^[3]

Source:^[1][4]

References

1. "McDonald Won the Race". The Boston Globe. April 19, 1898. p. 12. Retrieved April 19, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
2. "History". BAA.org. Boston Athletic Association. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
3. Derderian, Tom (1994). Boston Marathon: The History of the World's Premier Running Event. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics. pp. 8–10. ISBN 0-87322-491-4.
4. "(results)". The Boston Globe. April 20, 1898. p. 7. Retrieved April 19, 2023 – via newspapers.com.