The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-05-31
NINETY MILF FOOT-RACE.
The Longest Relay Sprinting
Match Ever Run.
NEW HAVEN TO NEW YORK.
Athletes Covered The Ground in Nine
Hours Three Minutes.
The start Was Made at $50 A. M.-The
arrival In New York at 2:35 P. NJ
Forty Runners Participated
How 1t Was Done.

New HAVEN, May 3O.-[Special.] 1.-The
longest relay foot race ever run in Amer
lea began in this city this morning and
ends IN New York tonight. Forty run
ners took part, and the race was I'M
doubtedly the greatest thing OF its kind
ever attempted in this country. The
honor OF suggesting such an enterprise
belongs TO the Y. NJ. G. A. of this CITY,
Early in January last the race was first
proposed. The scheme met with The ap-
proval of the local runners, and the other
associations between here and New York
were Immediately invited to participate
in the race and cooperate in arranging
for il. All readily consented and enthu-
siastically favored the plan. Since then
Director Thompson of the Y. M. G. A.
gymnasium here, and the directors of the
other associations have been busy COM
pleting their plans and selecting men for
the relays. The arrangements were COM
pleted weeks ago.
Seven associations entered men for the
race, and each furnished its fastest run
ners. Those who participated were New
Haven, Ansonia, Bridgeport, NOrwalk,
Stamford and the Harlem and Twenty
third street branches of the Y. Ne @. A.
in New York. Forty crack runners were
entered TO bear the message from New
Haven to New York. They were divided
into relays of two men each, and two re-
lays or four runners were furnished by
ali of the associations.
The road taken was the usual bicycle
road between here and New York, and is
the shortest and best highway connect
ing the cities. it is about ninty miles In
length, and follows very closely the
tracks of the New York, New Haven and
hartford railroad. 1t passes through
Milford, Bridgeport, Stratford, Fairfield,
Norwalk, Stamford, Greenwich. Darien,
Portchester and Westchester. Relay
stations had been established every i've
miles, each pair of runners carrying the
message that distance. At every station
three men awaited the papers, two run
ners and a bicycle rider. Two men
were assigned to each relay, in order that
one could continue if the other met with
an accident or gave out. The bicycle
rider accompanied the pair to set the pace
and guide the road.
With the first rays of daylight this
morning hundreds OF persons gathered
about he building OF the local Young
Mems Christian association on Cheyrel
street, as the runners from this city took
their places waiting for the word.
Il
signal was given and three New Haven
runners sped away. w. L. Hunter, the
fastest of the trio was given the message
sent by Acknowledgement Bradley Of this
city, to Mayor Gilroy of New York. His
comrades were Frank Kenna and Gus
Holland of this city.
Close behind the runners was Director
Mccain of the Bridgeport association on
a bicycle to see that perfect fairness was
maintained throughout the race. The
journey of seyenty-hye miles was divided
into blocks OF FIVE, each relay taking q
block, forty minutes being allowed each
relay for the distance.
The first relay from this city to Savin
Rock was covered by Hunter in q min
utes ] second. At this place w. 9. Bissell,
Harry Smith and Dave Imrie took the
message and shot along toward Milford,
which was reached in 1880. Three An
sonia men took the message on to STRAIT
ford. Their course was fair, but the time
was only 31:17. At Stratford fresh relay
took the message for Bridgeport. Their
course was in fine shape, and they made
the creditable record of 1886. Bridgeport
was left at 7:30, and the good time of %
minutes 80 seconds was made to Fairfield.
Twenty five miles or one-thlrd of the
entire distance had now been traversed
and the fact that great record would be
established was apparent.
The last athlete to participate was
Thomas Mellen of Harlem, who took the
letter on its arrival at Harlem bridge and
sDarted to the club house, the terminus
of the race, arriving at 2:35 pm. The
dispatch was there read. 1t was friendly
greeting from the adjutant general Of
Connecticut and referred to the means Of
transporting it as the first race of its
kind in the country. The total time OF
the race was hours and 3 minutes.