Andarín Carvajal

Andarín Carvajal

Carvajal at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Félix de la Caridad Carvajal y Soto
Born	18 March 1875 San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba
Died	27 January 1949(1949-01-27) (aged 73) Havana, Cuba
Occupation	Mailman
Height	155 cm (5 ft 1 in)
Weight	43 kg (95 lb)
Sport
Country	Cuba
Sport	Long-distance running
Event(s)	Marathon

Félix de la Caridad Carvajal y Soto, known professionally as Andarín Carvajal (18 March 1875 – 27 January 1949), was a Cuban mailman and long-distance runner who became one of the most celebrated figures of the 1904 Summer Olympics. Although he never won an Olympic medal, his fourth-place finish in the marathon remains one of the most legendary feats in athletic history due to the extraordinary obstacles he overcame before and during the race.

Early life and exhibitions

Carvajal was born in San Antonio de los Baños and lived in poverty for the majority of his life. He found employment as a mail carrier, a profession that required him to walk and run vast distances across the Cuban countryside daily. His natural endurance led him to perform public exhibitions of walking and running, earning him the nickname "Andarín" (the walker). During the Cuban War of Independence, he reportedly served as a courier for the Mambí army, delivering war dispatches across the island. One of his most notable pre-Olympic feats was a journey on foot that covered the entire length of Cuba, from Santiago de Cuba to Havana.

In 1904, Carvajal determined to represent Cuba at the Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. Lacking any official sponsorship or personal wealth, he raised the necessary travel funds by running laps around the Parque Central and other public squares in Havana, collecting donations in a hat from spectators. Once he had secured enough money, he traveled by boat to New Orleans. However, his journey took a disastrous turn upon arrival when he lost all of his remaining money in a craps game. Left penniless and unable to afford a train ticket, Carvajal hitchhiked and walked the remaining 700 miles (1,100 km) to St. Louis, arriving just as the marathon was about to begin.

The 1904 Olympic Marathon

Carvajal arrived at the starting line wearing his everyday street clothes, which included a beret, a long-sleeved white shirt, and long wool trousers. Seeing that the heat would be unbearable, American discus thrower Martin Sheridan used a pair of scissors to cut the legs off Carvajal's trousers at the knee, creating a makeshift pair of running shorts. The race was held in 32°C (90°F) heat over a course of dusty, unpaved roads that were frequently traversed by official vehicles, creating a choking environment for the runners. Despite having gone without a proper meal for nearly two days, Carvajal maintained a competitive pace and was a favorite among the crowds for his habit of stopping to chat with spectators.

During the race, Carvajal’s hunger became so intense that he attempted to snatch peaches from a spectator's car. When he was rebuffed, he continued along the route until he found an apple orchard. The apples he consumed were green and rotten, causing him to suffer severe stomach cramps. To recover, he lay down in the grass and took a brief nap. Despite this significant delay, Carvajal resumed the race with renewed vigor and managed to finish in fourth place. Many observers, including race officials, later speculated that he would have easily won the gold medal had he not stopped to eat the rotten fruit.

Later career and the 1906 mystery

Carvajal at the 1905 All-Western Marathon

Carvajal remained in the United States following the Olympics and participated in the 1905 All-Western Marathon in St. Louis, where he placed third with a time of 3:44. In 1906, the Cuban government provided him with funds to travel to Athens for the 1906 Intercalated Games. After his ship docked in Italy, Carvajal disappeared entirely. No word was heard from him for months, leading the Cuban press to assume he had perished in Europe. His obituary was published in several Havana newspapers before he suddenly reappeared in Cuba in 1907. He explained that he had spent his travel money and had been forced to work his way back home as a common laborer on a Spanish steamer.

Carvajal transitioned to professional running in his later years. In 1907, he defeated the American distance runner Henry W. Shelton in a six-hour race, and in 1909, he participated in a high-profile "Marathon Derby" at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Though he finished in last place in that event, he was recognized alongside the era's elite runners, including Dorando Pietri. Carvajal continued to run into his old age, often seen performing laps around Havana's sports fields for the entertainment of the public. He died in 1949 in the La Lisa neighborhood of Havana at the age of 73.

Legacy

The life of Andarín Carvajal has become a staple of Cuban folklore and Olympic history. His story was dramatized in the 1956 television episode "Felix the Fourth" on the series Telephone Time, starring Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez. In 2001, his life was documented in the biography Félix Carvajal, corredor de maratón by Bernardo José Mora. He is remembered as a symbol of perseverance and the amateur spirit of the early Olympic Games.

Other websites

• Media related to Felix Carvajal at Wikimedia Commons
• Félix Carvajal at World Athletics
• Félix Carvajal at Olympics.com
• Félix Carvajal at Olympedia