Who won the first Boston Marathon in 1897?

John J. McDermott won the first Boston Marathon in 1897.

The inaugural race was held on April 19, 1897, in Massachusetts. It followed the success of the marathon at the 1896 Athens Olympics and was originally called the B.A.A. Road Race. McDermott completed the course from Ashland to Boston in 2:55:10.

McDermott’s victory began the history of the Boston Marathon, which became an annual Patriots’ Day tradition. The race was later extended to the now-famous Hopkinton-to-Boston route, although its exact course has changed over time.

A common mix-up is confusing McDermott with John Kelley or Clarence DeMar, both important later Boston Marathon champions. Kelley won twice, while DeMar collected seven victories between 1911 and 1930.