On February 5, 1929, G. T. Bresnehan received U.S. Patent No. 1,701,026 on a Foot Support (a starting block for track runners):

G.T. Bresnahan was a successful athlete at Sterling and the University of Wisconsin-Madison before becoming a highly successful collegiate (Iowa Hawkeyes) and Olympic Coach. In addition to the adjustable starting block in the ‘026 patent, he received a nother patent (2144962) ten years later on another adjustable starting block:

and a patent (2,223,091) on a rubber-edged discuss.

Bresnahan and his discus co-inventer W.W. Tuttle literally wrote the book on track and field athletics: