They thought it "opened up the lungs."
If you want more insight into early 20th century sports, check out this account of the first modern Olympic marathon.
this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2026
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I never thought about it before reading the article you posted, but WTF?
Holding the first modern games in Athens is obvious.
Going to Paris next makes sense; it's one of the most prominent cities in the world (and was possibly even more so in 1900).
But St. Louis, Missouri?!
I'm reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1904_Summer_Olympics to figure out how the fuck it happened, and yep, the story is pretty stupid.
mmm, healthy!
Helps catch your breath on those long races!
And ensures you get your cancer later