Tangentially, have you read about the 1904 Summer Olympics Men's Marathon?:
Frederick Lorz crossed the finish line first and was hailed as the winner, but he was disqualified after it was discovered that he had hitched a ride in a car for 11 miles (17.7 km) after having supposedly dropped out of the race. The actual winner, Thomas Hicks, was near collapse and hallucinating when he crossed the finish line, a side effect of being administered brandy, raw eggs, and strychnine by his trainers. The fourth-place finisher, Andarín Carvajal, took a nap during the race after eating spoiled apples.