Monday’s Google Doodle celebrates Tom Longboat, a Canadian long distance runner who became the first member of a First Nations community to win the Boston Marathon.
Born in 1887 on the Six Nations reserve in Ontario, Longboat was a member of the Onondaga Nation. His indigenous name was Cogwagee, meaning “Everything.” As a child, Longboat lived in one of Canada’s Residential Schools. He ran away twice before moving in with his uncle and starting to train as an athlete while working various odd jobs.
Longboat pioneered a training technique that alternates days of intense workouts with days of lower-stress exercise and rest. While it’s since been widely adopted by athletes, it was highly unusual in Longboat’s day.
Longboat won his first Boston Marathon in 1907, just two years after he started racing. He set a new record for the race, five minutes faster than the existing one, gaining international fame. Long-distance running was a popular sport at the time; Longboat spent years racing in front of large crowds.
Longboat faced racism from both the media and the sports community, who levied stereotypes about indigenous communities at him and sometimes refused to see him as Canadian. But he had a stellar career. He lost only three races and in 1912 set a world record for the fifteen-mile race, clocking in at just one hour and eighteen minutes.
Longboat gave up his athletic career in 1916 to join the Canadian forces serving in World War One. He used his talents to take on the dangerous task of running messages between military posts in France, and was mistakenly declared dead twice when he went missing. After the war, he returned to the Six Nations Reserve and gave up professional running.
He died in 1949 at the age of 61. Six years later he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, which today recognizes him as “Canada’s greatest long-distance runner.”
Today’s animated Google Doodle honors the 131st birthday of Tom Longboat, the celebrated Canadian long distance runner from the Onondaga nation. Born in southern Ontario on the Six Nations reserve, Longboat’s career was marked by numerous titles and broken records, despite the era’s prejudices.
He most notably won the Boston Marathon in 1907 when he was only 19, breaking the previous record by a full five minutes.
When World War I broke out, Longboat served voluntarily, running dispatches across the battlefield. He was injured twice and was even incorrectly declared dead.
Longboat died in 1949. For the past decade, June 4th has been officially celebrated as “Tom Longboat Day” in Ontario.
Longboat with a trophy in 1907. (Charles A. Aylett/Library and Archives Canada)
Longboat serving during World War I (Library and Archives Canada)
Longboat (right) at an exhibition race in Brooklyn, New York in 1913. (Bain News Service/Library of Congress)
The Google Doodle for Monday, June 4 celebrates the Canadian long-distance runner Tom Longboat on what would have been his 131st birthday.
A member of the Onondaga Nation and born on the Six Nations Reserve near Ontario, Longboat is considered to be one of the greatest marathoners of all time, losing only three times in his amateur career.
Here is all you need to know about today’s Google Doodle luminary Tom Longboat including who he was and his WWI experience.
Who is Tom Longboat?
Tom Longboat was born on June 4, 1887 on the Six Nations Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario.
He was a member of the Onondaga Nation, whose native name Cogwagee meant ‘Everything’.
Longboat started racing as a teenager, having been inspired by another First Nations runner, Bill Davis—who finished in second at the 1901 Boston Marathon. Longboat blew everyone away by winning the 1907 Boston Marathon, returning home to a torchlight parade.
Innovative training methods add to Longboat’s legend; his use of a rotating training technique that involved switching up between heavy, light and recovery workouts exhibiting sports science knowledge well ahead of its time.
Two years after he won the 1907 Boston Marathon, Longboat turned pro, competing at the 1908 Olympic Games in London and racing for the next five years before retiring in 1912.
Longboat’s phenomenal stamina was put to use in the most extraordinary way during World War I.
Serving in the Canadian Army, Longboat was a dispatch runner, running across France to deliver messages between military posts.
Having served with distinction, the job was so risky that Longboat was reportedly declared dead twice during the war.
Despite his athletic achievements and bravery in war, Longboat faced life-long racism, with the media and sporting world constantly doubting him, despite his record breaking runs and victories.
After the war, Longboat retired to the Six Nations Reserve with his family. He died on January 9, 1949.
In Ontario, June 4 is officially Tom Longboat day.
Tom Longboat Google Doodle
The June 4, 2018 Google Doodle honours the marathon runner Tom Longboat with a special animation showing the athlete running non-stop in place of the first 'O' in 'Google'.
Tom Longboat became the first member of the First Nations to win the Boston Marathon, in 1907
The Doodle was designed by Matthew Cruickshank. An alternative animation shows Longboat running first in his athletic gear and then in his military uniform, paying tribute to his contribution during WWI.
What is a Google Doodle?
Google Doodles mark important cultural events and people throughout history. The search engine giant incorporates the tributes into its logo on the homepage.
The very first Google Doodle was simply a stick man standing behind the second 'O' in 'Google', and commemorated the Google co-founders trip to the 1998 Burning Man Festival.
After the frequent changes to the homepage were well-received, a team of Google Doodlers was created to design the illustrations and animations each day.
Recent Google Doodles include Heinz Sielmann, S.P.L Sorensen, Sam Selvon and James Wong Howe.
Image copyright Library and Archives Canada Image caption Tom Longboat
Google is honouring one of Canada's greatest runners - First Nations marathon record-setter Tom Longboat.
The search engine giant's "Google Doodle" on Monday celebrated the 131st birthday of the runner who received global acclaim after setting the 1907 world record at the Boston Marathon.
Longboat, from Ontario's Six Nations reserve, also served as a dispatch carrier in France during World War One.
He was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1955.
The Onondaga athlete was born 4 June 1887, and was one of thousands indigenous children in Canada to be separated from their families and forced into a state-run education in the country's residential school system.
Longboat, rebelling against being forced to speak English and to abandon his indigenous beliefs in favour of Christianity, ran away.
He was just a teenager when he first attracted attention from Canada's running community after winning a series of races in the province of Ontario.
Image copyright Courtesy Google Image caption Tom Longboat's Google doodle appeared in Canada and the US
Longboat was the first First Nations long-distance runner to win the prestigious Boston Marathon and he garnered further acclaim for shaving nearly five minutes off the previous best time.
He was greeted by crowds of thousands of people and given keys to the city upon his triumphant return to Toronto.
Longboat went on to compete in the marathon at the 1908 summer Olympics in London, but did not walk away with the gold medal he was favoured to win. In fact, he never finished the race.
He collapsed 19 miles into the 26.2 mile (42km) event and was taken out of the venue on a stretcher.
During his amateur running career, Longboat only lost three races.
Long-distance running was a popular spectator sport at the time and Longboat became one of the most celebrated athletes of the pre-World War One era.
Image copyright Library and Archives Canada Image caption Tom Longboat posing with running trophies
Despite facing racism aimed at his indigenous heritage, he had a successful professional running career, including participating in a series of 10 races against British running star rival Alf Shrubb.
In 1916, he voluntarily joined the Canadian forces serving in Europe during the war. Stationed in France, he ran messages and orders between units - and continued to race and win in inter-battalion running contests.
He was wounded twice during the war but survived the dangerous work. He died in 1949 at the age of 62.
