Table of Contents
Introduction
Felix Carvajal: How to Make Friends at a Marathon
If an Olympic medal were ever to be awarded for that species of good-natured persistence called “pluck,” Cuba’s Felix Carvajal would be a certain candidate for the gold. When Carvajal, a postman and amateur runner from Havana, heard that the 1904 Olympic Games were to be held in St. Louis, Missouri, he was determined to participate. Nearly penniless and with no Olympic committee to sponsor him, Carvajal decided to pay his own way to the Games. To raise money he went to Havana’s central plaza and ran in circles until he drew a crowd, whereupon he declared his intention to ...(100 of 378 words)