Description
Tom Longboat is the revised Fitzhenry and Whiteside title from The Canadians Series. This biography of the noted historical figure, Tom Longboat (1887-1949) examines his athletic career as Canada's foremost Native long-distance runner. Tom Longboat was an Onondaga from the Six Nations Reserve, Ontario. The biography begins with an introductory chapter about the development of sport in Canada and among the First Nations. The next chapter describes the context of the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee culture at the time of Longboat's birth, and outlines his early years. The first major race Longboat entered was a local competition in nearby Caledonia in 1906. Despite his second place finish, Longboat showed promise and easily won the Hamilton Around the Bay race later that year. Tom Longboat went on to run spectacular races such as the Boston Marathon in 1907, and the 1908 Olympic Marathon. The author comments on Longboat's running style as well as his training techniques. A former long-distance champion for Canada, Bruce Kidd brings considerable expertise to the writing of this biography. He continues Longboat's story as a professional runner, a cross-country courier in World War 1, and his final days spent working for the City of Toronto. Bruce Kidd acknowledges Tom Longboat as Canada's finest athlete who lost only three races during his amateur career. The research for the book was based on archival documents, newspaper articles, and interviews with Six Nations elders who knew Longboat. Archival photographs appear throughout the text and an index is included. This book is a fascinating historical account of a true champion who made a significant contribution to Canadian sport. Written for senior elementary and high school students, this book accurately portrays the life and times of an Iroquois/Haudenosaunee sports hero. This revised edition features a new cover, timeline, further reading, improved index, and the inclusion of additional archival photographs. The editor has changed the terms native people and Indian to Aboriginal(s) throughout most of the text.