Overview

Just three months after the London Olympics of 1908, Pat White ran almost 15 minutes faster than the Olympic marathon champion in a professional race over the same course. In Edinburgh three years later, his 2:36:45 would prove faster than the winning times in both the 1912 and 1924 Olympic marathons and would not be bettered by an Irish athlete for nearly half a century. Twice in his life, in 1908 and 1911, he ranked 2nd on the world marathon ranking list. For a short time, his successes caused an entire nation to walk a little taller. Idolised from the Liffey to the Boyne, White was the archetypical local boy made good, the humble labourer who made a name for himself on the world stage. As a British Army deserter and the brother of an IRA assassin, his life after running was continually blighted by tragedy and poverty. Abandoned by his family, he spent his final years in a homeless hostel. One of Ireland's greatest athletes, he was buried unmourned in a Scottish cemetery and his story lost to history.

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