Manuel Dias

Manuel Dias was a Portuguese distance runner who competed in races from 1,500 metres to the marathon. During his career Dias was a 25-time Portuguese champion with multiple wins in the 1,500 metres (3), 5,000 metres (8), marathon (6), and the cross-country race (8). He ran in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, with him holding the Portuguese record in the race ahead of the Games. Dias started the race wearing regular gym shoes that had very thin soles, which quickly fell apart. By the halfway mark his feet were covered in blood he was clearly in pain with every step he took. A spectator from the crowd saw that he was in difficulty and gave him his shoes, with Dias managing to finish the race in 17th. In 1949 he won a sizeable prize on the Portuguese national lottery and used the money to found the sports newspaper Record.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-30:38 (1937).