While Fred Lorz was greeted as the apparent winner, he was later disqualified as he had hitched a ride in a car for part of the race. The actual winner, Thomas Hicks, was near collapse and hallucinating by the end of the race, a side effect of being administered brandy, raw eggs, and
strychnine by his trainers.
Cuban postman
Andarín Carvajal had also joined the marathon, arriving at the last minute.
[6] After losing all of his money
gambling in
New Orleans, Louisiana, he hitchhiked to St. Louis and had to run the event in street clothes that he cut around the legs to make them look like shorts. Not having eaten in 40 hours, he saw a spectator eating 2 peaches. He asked if he could have the peaches, and the spectator declined. He then stole both peaches and ran away.
The South African entrants,
Len Taunyane and
Jan Mashiani, finished ninth and twelfth, respectively: this was a disappointment, as many observers were sure Tau could have done better if he had not been chased nearly a mile off course by wild dogs.
[8]