HOW MICHAEL PHELPS FOUGHT MENTAL ILLNESS A DECORATED OLYMPIAN’S HARDEST BATTLE: DEPRESSION THE CRAZIEST OLYMPIC MARATHON OF 1904 It’s Unbelievably True!
In 1904, the year of America’s first Olympics, the men’s marathon was a bizarre spectacle to behold. In fact, it was likely the most jaw-dropping event ever in the history of the Olympic Games. On that hot, sweltering summer day in St. Louis, MO, only 14 of the 32 Olympic competitors crossed the finish line on what was deemed the most difficult course anyone was ever asked to undertake. Thomas Hicks, the American who actually came in first, received the slowest time of all of the Olympic marathons since 1896. But why was this one so tough?
seven hills was a bit much for competitors. Not to mention, support cars were churning up dust, leaving it behind for the runners to inhale, and they only had two water stations available before the halfway mark — and none in the second half! Even seasoned runners were not up to this crazy course! Three hours and 13 minutes after the marathon began, Fred Lorz, who had ridden a third of the course in a car, crossed the finish line. He was about to be adorned with a floral wreath when he confessed he had gotten so tired that he accepted a ride from one of the cars along the way, so he was disqualified.
Thomas Hicks, the true winner, was struggling with just 7 more miles to go. His fans on the sidelines provided him with a secret energy booster mix — a concoction containing strychnine (rat poison), brandy, and egg whites. By the time he crossed the finish line, he was hallucinating. And the fourth-place winner from Cuba wore dress pants and shoes for the entire race (because he lost his money gambling in New Orleans on his way to St. Louis and arrived after hitchhiking with nothing but the clothes on his back!). This 1904 Olympic marathon went down in history as the most bizarre and wildly entertaining race. Luckily, but surprisingly, nobody died!
With temperatures of roughly 104 degrees F and 90% humidity, a rigorous 24.85-mile course with
Doing What She Loves Back on Track
A Blepharoplasty Kept Jeannie
Heavy eyelids run in Jeannie’s family, so when she realized they were impacting her everyday life, she had plenty of places to turn. “My mother and my sister both had blepharoplasties done,” she says, and several of her friends had also undergone the procedure. She scheduled a visit with Dr. Scott after people she knew sang his praises. Thanks to her relative familiarity with the procedure, Jeannie reports not feeling nervous before undergoing surgery. “It was impairing my peripheral vision, and I knew I needed it done,” she says matter of factly. Jeannie underwent an upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty on both eyes and received CO 2 laser treatment to remove signs of aging. “Not that I have wrinkles at age 72,” she says with a wink. Jeannie reports the recovery period as “intense,” but she believes it was more the result of the laser than the blepharoplasty. “Dr. Scott did a blepharoplasty on a friend of mine the other week. I saw him on the second day, and he looked fabulous,” she notes. As for her, “It wasn’t terrible, but I did have to ice the area all the time.” Her biggest stressor was her caretaker. “I had to fire my husband from nursing duties after a few days of him taking care of me,” she laughs.
Once the swelling subsided, Jeannie became excited about the results. “It looks 100% better,” she says. Her peripheral vision has also improved dramatically. “Now I can see without lifting my eyebrow,” she jokes. Jeannie has been married for 44 years. Her children are now grown, and she lives with her husband and a Great Dane. In her spare time, she tries to exercise as much as possible. “That’s why I needed to see!” she says. In particular, she loves to hike with her friends across the country and throughout Europe. Her goal is to go hiking in every U.S. national park, and she’ll soon be hitting all five in Utah. “I know I won’t be able to do this forever, so I’m crossing items off my bucket list while I can,” she explains. Jeannie remains grateful for how her surgery has improved her appearance and kept her out on the trails. “Dawn is fantastic, and Dr. Scott is a fabulous doctor,” she says. “He’s very specialized because he just does eyes, which was huge to me. The office was wonderful, and I would recommend it in a second.”
2 EyePlasticMD.com
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