The Olympic Marathon Won On Poison

The 1904 Olympic marathon winner barely finished the race after his handlers gave him a toxic cocktail of rat poison and brandy. The dangerous mix acted as a stimulant that kept him moving through hallucinations.

Thomas Hicks suffered from extreme exhaustion during the race, so his team fed him strychnine, which is commonly used as rat poison, alongside egg whites and brandy. He eventually collapsed after crossing the finish line and required medical attention to survive. Today, this bizarre event is remembered as one of the most dangerous displays in sports history. It highlighted the lack of medical oversight in early international competitions.