Ronald Mac Donald (athlete) - Olympic Representation

Olympic Representation

Ronald MacDonald represented the United States of America, because Canada did not yet have an Olympic team, at the 1900 Olympic Summer Games held in Paris, France. MacDonald ran the marathon, but finished the last of 7 finishers. He complained that the top 3 runners, who were French, had cut the course, and that only he and an American actually completed the whole course.

In 1901, MacDonald returned to the Boston Marathon with confidence stating that he would win and break the record of Jack Caffery, another Canadian, who had run 2:39:44 the previous year. MacDonald joined 37 other runners that day and ran as part of the top 4 for most of the race. Unfortunately, MacDonald was seized with cramps and had to retire from the race, reported to be due to a sponge soaked with chloroform he unknowingly accepted from a spectator.

MacDonald returned to the Boston Marathon in 1902. He and Sammy Mellor were favoured, although Mellor had beaten MacDonald by 10 seconds in the previous year’s Thanksgiving Day 20-mile (32 km) race in Hamilton, Ontario. MacDonald and Mellor ran side by side in Boston until the 12th mile. Unfortunately, after the half-way mark, in the Newton Hills, MacDonald had difficulties, walked for a while and retired from the race.

In 1905, MacDonald was a handler for Boston Marathon runner Robert Fowler who ended up finishing in 3rd. Fowler blamed MacDonald for advising him to stay with Olympic gold medallist Tom Hicks who ended up having a bad day.