The men's marathon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, was held on Saturday July 31, 1976. The race started at 17:30 local time. There were 67 competitors from 36 countries. Seven of them did not finish. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Waldemar Cierpinski of East Germany, the first Olympic marathon medal by any German runner. Frank Shorter of the United States and Karel Lismont of Belgium became the third and fourth men to win a second medal in the event, each one place behind their 1972 results. Ethiopia's four-Games marathon medal streak ended, as the nation boycotted the Games. The winner, Cierpinski, famously ran an extra lap of the stadium, not knowing that he had finished one lap prior. Men's marathon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal — the final on July 31, 1976. 🥇 Waldemar Cierpinski (GDR) · 🥈 Frank Shorter · 🥉 Karel Lismont Wiki link