Among the better early runners: 1) Deerfoot had an excellent run during the early pedestrian boom (1860's), though simultaneously built the reputation of Native American runners and fulfilled many of the stereotypes Europeans had of Native Americans in general (some of the fulfillment thought to be part of his hustle -- e.g., pretending to be tactically stupider than he was so that he would get better odds) 2) Tom Longboat (already mentioned) was world class, but his professionalism meant no Olympics or Bostons after 1909 (though he won in 1907, as a 20-year-old) 3) Ellison Brown ("Tarzan") was an excellent runner, twice Boston champ