Francisco Lázaro

Francisco Lázaro (21 January 1888 – 15 July 1912) was a Portuguese Olympic marathon runner and Portugal's standard-bearer in their first-ever participation at the Olympic Games, the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.

Career Like all the Olympic athletes of his time, Lázaro was an amateur sportsman. His actual job was as a carpenter in an automobile factory in Lisbon. where he represented S.L. Benfica.

Lázaro was the first athlete to die during a modern Olympic event after collapsing at the 30-kilometer mark (19 miles) of the marathon with a body temperature of 41 °C (105.8 °F). He was initially thought to have died of severe dehydration due to the high temperature registered at the time of the race. It was later discovered that Lázaro had covered large portions of his body with suet to prevent sunburn and to help with speed and lightness while running. However, the wax restricted his natural perspiration, leading to a fatal body fluid electrolyte imbalance. Approximately US$3,800 was collected for his wife, and later a monument of Lázaro was placed at the marathon's turning point at Sollentuna, Stockholm.