Johnny Hayes Englewood, New Jersey. The Shore Athletic Club of New Jersey (Shore AC) holds the Johnny Hayes collection as lifetime trustees. Included in the collection are numerous trophies as well as the 1908 Olympic gold medal for the marathon. This represents the first Olympic gold medal to be won at the modern marathon distance of 26 miles, 385 yards. Johnny Hayes was a guest on the television show "I've Got A Secret" as one of five former Olympic champions which aired October 13, 1954. Dorando Pietri Johnny Hayes John Joseph "Johnny" Hayes (April 10, 1886 – August 25, 1965) was an
Paris Marathon medal to all runners who finished the race in less than 4 hours. The distance of 40 km was chosen as it was the distance separating Marathon from Athens. The current distance of the race is 42.195 km, which the IAAF established in 1921 as the standard length of a marathon, following the 1908 Olympic race in London. This first race was won by Len Hurst from England who crossed the finishing line in 2 hours, 31 minutes and 30 seconds. His prize money was 200 francs. Although the International Association of Athletics Federations credits Violet Piercy as the first