Poor Lawrence Brignolia is rolling over in his grave. The Italian-American won the Boston Marathon in 1899 with a time of 2:54:38. In 2000, he was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. That's quite an honor for a horse shoeing son of Italian immigrants, but there is no honor for Italian Americans at this year's Boston Marathon.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced the Boston Athletic Association to postpone this year's marathon until Monday, October 11th, Columbus Day. It made sense, the race is typically held on Patriot's Day. Many Italian Americans were prepared to celebrate the race and remember runners like Lawrence Brignolia and all others of Italian descent who have made great contributions to America.