Gérard Côté facts for kids
Gérard Côté, winner of the 1940 Boston Marathon
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gérard Côté |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born | July 27, 1913 St-Barnabé-Sud, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | June 13, 1993 (aged 79). St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Sport | Running |
| Event(s) | Marathon |
| Retired | 1956 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals | Member of Canadian teams: 1950 British Empire Games 1954 British Empire Games 1954 Commonwealth Games |
| Olympic finals | 17th-place finish in the 1948 Summer Olympics |
| Highest world ranking | Four-time winner of the Boston Marathon |
| Personal best(s) | Winner of the 1943 Boston Marathon in 2:28:25 |
Gérard Côté (born July 27, 1913 – died June 13, 1993) was a famous Canadian marathon runner. He is best known for winning the Boston Marathon four times!
Gérard Côté was born in Saint-Barnabé-Sud, a small town in Quebec, Canada. Before he became a runner, he was actually training to be a boxer. But he soon switched to marathon running, which is a very long-distance race.
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King of the Boston Marathon
Gérard Côté ran his first Boston Marathon in 1936. This race is one of the oldest and most famous marathons in the world. He went on to win the Boston Marathon four times: in 1940, 1943, 1944, and 1948.
In 1940, he even set a new record for the course! That same year, he won the Lou Marsh Trophy. This award is given to Canada's best athlete of the year. Gérard Côté was the first French-speaking Canadian to receive this special award.
Other Amazing Wins
Gérard Côté was not just a star at the Boston Marathon. He also won the Yonkers Marathon three times. He also won three U.S. running championships.
Throughout his career, Gérard Côté competed in 264 races. He won 112 of those races and finished second 56 times! That's a lot of running and a lot of wins!
Representing Canada
Gérard Côté also represented Canada on the world stage. He competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics. During that race, he suffered from leg cramps, which affected his performance. He finished in 17th place.
He was also part of the Canadian teams at the 1950 British Empire Games and the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. He stopped running professionally in 1956.
Honored for His Achievements
Gérard Côté's amazing career earned him many honors. He was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1955. The next year, in 1956, he joined Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1989, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. This is a very high honor in Quebec. In 1990, he became a Member of the Order of Canada, which is one of Canada's highest civilian honors. Gérard Côté passed away in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec when he was 79 years old.
