Doroteo Guamuch Flores, also called Mateo Flores (February 11, 1922 – August 11, 2011), was a

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who won several international events, including the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

in 1952.

Career

Guamuch was born in Cotió,

Mixco Mixco () is a city and municipality in the Guatemala department of Guatemala. It is next to the main Guatemala City municipality and has become part of the Guatemala City Metropolitan Area. Most of Mixco is separated from the city by canyons, fo ...

, a city near

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...

. During his early athletic career, Guamuch worked in as a low-paid laborer in a textile factory. He would wake at 4:00 am to run for two hours, and run an additional two hours after returning from work at 6:00 pm. Guamuch's career spanned from 1941 to 1957; prior to winning the 1952 Boston Marathon, he was the winner of multiple international races, notably the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

at the 1946

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...

Games, the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

at the

1950 Central American and Caribbean Games The 6th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, from February 28 to March 12, 1950. The games included 1,390 athletes from fourteen nations, competing in nineteen sports. Sports * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

in Guatemala, and the marathon at the

1955 Pan American Games The 1955 Pan American Games opened on March 12, 1955, in the University Stadium (now Olympic Stadium) in Mexico City, Mexico, in front of a capacity crowd of 100,000 spectators. A total number of 2,583 athletes from 22 nations marched in review ...

in Mexico City. He also participated in the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

1952 Boston Marathon

On April 19, 1952, Guamuch participated in the

, a major international racing event. He took the lead from his countryman Luis H. Velasquez after the first ten miles, and, against any predictions, finished ahead of U.S. competitor Victor Dyrgall by almost five minutes, recording a time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 53 seconds. His record remained as a national record for Guatemala for seventeen years, until November 5, 1969, when it was broken by Julio Quevedo.Race summaries from the Official Boston Athletic Association and Boston Marathon web site
- www.bostonmarathon.org

Honors and awards

The Boston achievement made Guamuch a sports icon in his country, and the Guatemalan government paid him tribute by renaming the national stadium in

to '' Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores''. He was treated as a national hero by the Guatemalan government, which also awarded him the

Order of the Quetzal The Order of the Quetzal (Spanish: Orden del Quetzal) is Guatemala’s highest honor. History and award conditions Established in 1936, it is bestowed by the Government of Guatemala Politics of Guatemala takes place in a framework of a p ...

(the nation's highest civilian honor).

Life after retirement

Guamuch became a Professor of

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

after his retirement. He was also been a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives the player advice and moral support. Description A good caddie is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the ...

working at th
Guatemala Country Club
and occasional player. He was a practicing

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

References and footnotes

External links

Mateo Flores: racismo y nación en Guatemala
- www.efdeportes.com - Biography and career {{DEFAULTSORT:Flores, Mateo 1922 births 2011 deaths People from Guatemala Department Guatemalan male long-distance runners Guatemalan male marathon runners Olympic athletes of Guatemala Athletes (track and field) at the 1951 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1955 Pan American Games Order of the Quetzal Pan American Games gold medalists for Guatemala Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Boston Marathon male winners Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Guatemala Competitors at the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games 20th-century Guatemalan people 21st-century Guatemalan people