Spyros Louis was born in 1872 in Marousi, a suburb in northeastern Athens, as the fifth (and ultimate) child in the family. He followed in his father’s footsteps, selling the famous local water to downtown Athens, where he went every Wednesday and Friday. He was not a professional athlete but he was tall, lean, and athletic, so when he first heard about the impending marathon race, he participated in the qualifying rounds where he finished 17th. Since only 16 runners would represent Greece he was about to be disqualified, when a major in the Greek Army, under whom he had served, demanded that the organizers allow Louis to participate since he had “strong lungs and cannot lose.”