1900
The Marathon Goes International; Canadians Dominate

Thursday, April 19, 12:00 p.m.

Results:Time:
1. J. Caffery, Hamilton, ON 2:39:44
2. W. Sherring, Hamilton, ON 2:41:31
3. F. Hughson, Hamilton, ON 2:49:08
4. J. Maguire, Cambridgeport, MA 2:51:36
5. J. Fay, Roxbury, MA 2:55:07
6. T.J. Hicks, Cambridge, MA 3:07:19
7. B. Sullivan, Roxbury, MA 3:13:20
8. D. Grant, Cambridgeport, MA 3:13:57

As the first non-U.S. contingent, a 5-man Canadian team dominated the 4th Annual Boston Marathon, garnering the top three spots.

The favorites to win, Grant and Brignolia, fell victim to severe cramps and stitches in the 70-degree weather. Caffery easily won, crossing the finish line 5 minutes faster than his Canadian counterpart William Sherring.

Original coverage
Click here for The Boston Globe's coverage of the 1900 race.
However, initially Caffery didn't cross the finish line. The crowd was so dense that Caffery was fooled into believing he had crossed the line. Caffery ran into the BAA clubhouse looking for the race officials, where he found them on the third floor. Caffery pleaded with them to stop the clock.

After realizing he had never crossed the finish line, Caffery went back down to street level and officially broke the tape. He went back into the BAA clubhouse and pleaded the officials to stop the clock. They finally did, but 5 minutes after Caffery initially reached the end of the course. Caffery's trainers protested the lost 5 minutes, but were refused by the BAA officials.

A minute later Sherring finished. Fred Hughson rounded out the Canadian sweep. The two other Canadians never finished the race. One of them, Dennis Carroll, vowed never to return to Canada if he didn't win the race. The next day he sent for his personal belongings and made Boston his home forever.