[1] Taunyane was a member of the Tswana people and a veteran of the Second Boer War, having served as a despatch runner.

He travelled to the United States in 1904 to appear in the Boer War Exhibition at the St Louis World's Fair.

[2] The 1904 Marathon was a largely informal affair, run on an unsuitable course and over roads so dusty that it caused many of the athletes to collapse.

Taunyane entered the race at the last minute, as a Tswana from the Orange River Colony.

[4] This was a disappointment, as many observers were sure that Taunyane could have done better if he had not been chased nearly a mile off course by aggressive dogs.