Van Cortlandt Park, New York, NY, USA, December 12, 1914
The running hero of the Stockholm Olympics 1912, Hannes Kolehmainen, secured the U.S. Cross-Country Championship for the first and only time in December 1914.
Representing the Irish-American Athletic Club, Kolehmainen led the race from start to finish, setting a course record of 33:36. The competition took place in Van Cortlandt Park in New York on a 6.12-mile-long track.
Kolehmainen was the second Finn to win the U.S. Cross Country Championship, with Ville Kyrönen claiming victory in 1912. In the summer of 1914, Kolehmainen competed in his homeland, Finland. After the outbreak of World War I, he returned to his home in Brooklyn. Prior to winning the cross country championship, he also secured the U.S. title in the 10-mile run.
New York Times iluustration of Hannes Kolehmainen. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.