Then and Now ; Once Upon a Time, Folks Were Unclear On the Dangers of Smoking. The Marathon Helped Clear Things Up.

Summary

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The Pikes Peak Marathon began as a challenge issued by Florida doctor Arne Suominen, a nonsmoker, to any smoker who wanted to prove he could beat Suominen to the top of Pikes Peak and back down.

Suominen was a marathoner from Finland and a candid critic of smoking. He wanted to prove that smoking weakened a runner's cardiovascular endurance.

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Extract

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Then and Now ; Once Upon a Time, Folks Were Unclear On the Dangers of Smoking. The Marathon Helped Clear Things Up.

The event, which took place Aug. 10, 1956, wasn't a marathon; it was merely a challenge, a race up to the summit of Pikes Peak and back down. Thirteen runners, including three smokers, accepted the challenge.

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