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Frank Hart

Biography

United States

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Biography

Frank Hart (1856 – September 1908) was an American athlete famous as the first African-American world record holder in the 19th century sport of pedestrianism. His most noted win was in an 1879 6 Day Race at Madison Square Garden where he covered 565 miles and won $21,567 in prize money (equivalent to $745,217 in 2025). Later in life Hart played briefly on segregated baseball teams.

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Black heritage reference ↗

Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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