Jimmy Duffy
Canadian runner (1890–1915)
James Duffy (May 1, 1890 – April 23, 1915) was a distance runner from Canada, one of the world's best marathon runners at the beginning of the 20th century. He participated in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm and was the winner of the 1914 Boston Marathon.
Biography
Born in Ireland, Duffy grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, after moving there with his family as a child. According to his own later account, Duffy participated in cross-country races in Scotland, winning many of them. He was a member of the Edinburgh Southern Harriers.
In 1911, he emigrated to Canada, where he worked in Toronto as a tinsmith and stonecutter. In his spare time, he visited the Central YMCA, the director of which quickly recognized his talent.
Representing the Central YMCA, Duffy came in second in the 1911 Ward Marathon, a 20-mile (32 km) event in Toronto. During the race, Duffy stopped to argue with supporters of another runner. In May 1912, he ran the Spectator Marathon in Hamilton, Ontario, which served that year as the Canadian Olympic trial.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Jimmy Duffy” as canadian runner (1890–1915). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as canadian runner (1890–1915). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 13, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1680305. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1890, 1915, 1912 and 1914.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Jimmy Duffy”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Jimmy Duffy primary sources, Jimmy Duffy archive and Jimmy research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Jimmy Duffy”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Jimmy Duffy” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.