Arthur Blake (middle distance runner)

Arthur Blake (Arthur Charles "Skip" Blake; January 26, 1872 – October 22, 1944) was an American athlete who competed in the 1500 meters and the marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

The 1500 meters was run in a single heat, and Blake came in second to Edwin Flack of Australia. The race was a tight one, as Flack and Blake overtook the then-leader, Albin Lermusiaux, in the final straight and ran side-by-side nearly all the way to the finish. Flack proved the quicker, however, and finished in 4:33.2. This was less than a second faster than Blake's time of 4:33.6.

He also ran in the final event of the Games, the marathon. Blake, the only American entrant in the race, was in third place to Lermusiaux and Flack throughout the first half of the race. After 23 kilometres, however, Blake was unable to continue and quit the race.

In the 1984 NBC miniseries, The First Olympics: Athens, 1896, he was portrayed by Alex Hyde-White.

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