Tom Longboat was a hero. A member of the Onondaga Nation, he was born on the Six Nations reserve in Oshwegen, near Brantford, Ontario. Despite poverty, poor training, and prejudice, Longboat went on to become one of the world’s best runners. In 1907, at the height of his fame, he won the Boston Marathon and ran in the 1908 Olympic Marathon. Longboat was one of the best-known people of his day, and certainly the most prominent member of the Six Nations. Throughout his career he had to race against opponents, as well as rumors of illegal running activities. Nevertheless, he maintained his dignity, and his achievements still inspire people who understand the great pleasure of running, and running fast.
–Winner of the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction–
“…fast-paced, deeply researched and fresh…treats the reader with respect and the subject with great respect…throws new light on the little-known Longboat…vividly readable…brilliantly done!”
–Norma Fleck Jury
“[T]his book is a superb narrative – and a revelatory one – about a largely unknown if not quite unsung Canadian icon.”
–The Globe and Mail
“…a wonderful book. Jack Batten has written a riveting sports story…an intriguing slice of social and economic life in the early decades of the 20th century, raising some provocative questions…”
–Books in Canada
“Dozens of photos complement the exciting prose of Jack Batten.”
–Owl Canadian Family
“This biography of Canada’s greatest runner salutes him while providing a not-too-pretty lesson in Canadian sports and social history… Jack Batten…writes in a colloquial, entertainingly frank style….”
–Quill & Quire
“It is an engrossing and poignant story…a fascinating look at the history of running, the history of prejudice and the legacy of a man who’s enduring story continues to inspire.”
–Books
“Batten writes with honesty of the hypocrisies and injustices of the time: here’s one biography that doesn’t gloss over the more ugly aspects of our culture…. [a] clear, sensitive biography…”
–The Toronto Star
“Batten tells a fast-paced, deeply researched and fresh story while unflinchingly facing up to the everyday bigotries of Canadian society…”
–The Vancouver Sun
