Winner John J. McDermott ran the course in two hours, 55 minutes and 10 seconds. .

On April 19, 1897, John J. McDermott of New York won the first
Boston Marathon with a time of 2:55:10.

The Boston Marathon was the brainchild of Boston Athletic
Association member and inaugural U.S. Olympic team manager
John Graham, who was inspired by the marathon at the first
modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. With the assistance
of Boston businessman Herbert H. Holton, various routes were considered, before a measured distance of 24.5 miles from the
Irvington Oval in Boston to Metcalf’s Mill in Ashland was
eventually selected.

Fifteen runners started the race but only 10 made it to the finish
line.

John J. ("J.J.", "little Mac") McDermott
(1880 – 1948)

April 19, 1775: At about 5 a.m., 700 British troops, on a mission to capture Patriot leaders and seize a Patriot arsenal, march into
Lexington to find 77 armed minutemen under Captain John Parker waiting for them on the town’s common green. British Major John Pitcairn ordered the outnumbered Patriots to disperse, and after a moment’s hesitation the Americans began to drift off the green. Suddenly, a shot was fired from an undetermined gun, and a cloud
of musket smoke soon covered the green. When the brief Battle of Lexington ended, eight Americans lay dead or dying and 10 others
were wounded. Only one British soldier was injured, but the
American Revolution had begun.

John Parker
(July 13, 1729 – September 17, 1775)

Battle of Lexington State Historic Site today.