John McDermott

Who was John McDermott?

John J. "J.J." McDermott was an American athlete who in 1896 won the first marathon run in the United States as well as the inaugural Boston Marathon, then known as the B.A.A. Road Race, in 1897.

McDermott was reported to have been from New York City and represented the Pastime Athletic Club. Some people believe that he may have originated from Boularderie, Nova Scotia, Canada where the annual J.J. McDermott Long John Jaunt Half-Marathon is named in his honor.