From Wikipedia - Reading time: 4 min
Spitzer, second from right | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Roland Adelbert Spitzer |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | September 21, 1885 |
| Died | May 20, 1916 (aged 30) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Middle-distance running |
| Event | Steeplechase |
Roland Adelbert Spitzer (September 21, 1885 – May 20, 1916)[1] was an American middle-distance runner.[2] He competed in the men's 3200 metres steeplechase at the 1908 Summer Olympics.[3] Spitzer was the son of A.L. Spitzer, a millionaire from Toledo, Ohio. He attended Yale University where he achieved prominence as a runner and served as captain of the cross-country team. He was a member of the United States Olympic team in 1908 and graduated from Yale in 1909. He then served as the treasurer of the Spitzer Building Company. He developed a "stomach ailment" for which he sought treatment by the Mayo Brothers in Rochester, Minnesota. He died in 1916 at age 31.[4]