The men's marathon, which lasted 40.2 kilometres (25.0 mi), took place on 14 July amid record heat; half the runners did not finish.

From a young age, Tomašević had exhibited a talent for athletics and gymnastics, and upon arriving in Belgrade, he joined a local Sokol organization named after the medieval Serbian emperor Dušan the Mighty.

[1] The men's marathon, which lasted 40.2 kilometres (25.0 mi), took place on 14 July amid record-breaking heat; half the participants did not finish.

[4] Tomašević completed the marathon in two hours and 47 minutes, and finished 37th out of sixty-eight runners, prompting speculation in the Serbian tabloid press that he had been poisoned by "a beautiful Swedish blonde" or "pushed into a ditch" and held there so as to be prevented from winning.

[5] Upon returning to Serbia, Tomašević began preparing for the 1916 Summer Olympics, which were never held due to the outbreak of World War I.

Tomašević's fellow soldiers dragged him to cover and he was evacuated from the front, but soon succumbed to his injuries in the village of Rašanac, near Petrovac na Mlavi.

Tomašević's body was subsequently returned to his native village and buried in his family's tomb, alongside the trophies he had won during his lifetime.

[5] Another urban legend holds that, in 1909, Tomašević was challenged to race a train from Požarevac to Petrovac na Mlavi by a Serbian transportation firm.