Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1908-07-15
R4SSLNG TIT ME5JAGE 20

One of the most interesting and
unique athletic events of the summer
will be the 1,000-mile cross-country re-
lay race which is to be pulled off by
the Y. NJ. c.. A. boys between New
York city in the east and Chicago in
the west. Two thousand trained, fleet
footed runners each in turn catching
on the fly the message sent by Mayor
Mcclellan of the eastern city and
speeding it on its westward journey.
The entrants for the race have been
carefully selected from the fleetest
gymnasiums of the Young Mems Chris
tan associations of New York and
Chicago. and by those of the numerous
other branches of the association
which line the 1,000-mile route.
1t will be race against time, a con-
test between the flying feet of the
young athletes and the fugitive hours.
But although the race is against time
there will be the Zest of keen rivalry
to spur the racers on. An automobile
carrying official timekepers will follow
the racers over the entire route, max
ing careful record of the speed of each
relay. Besides this individual rivalry
there is the rivalry Of the numerous
associations. each hoping that as a
body it's champions will show a higher
average than the others.
The direct mail route to Chicago is
900 miles. The more winding highways
that the boys will traverse is estimated
at 1000 miles. There will be nearly
1000 boys in the race, and it is expect
ed that it will be run well within five
days
The start will be made from the city
hall of New York at line o'clock on
the morning of July Is. There the
speediest runner of the Twenty-third
street branch of the Young Men,
Christian association will receive from
Mayor Mcclellan a message addressed
to Mayor Busse of Chicago. The mes
sage will be inclosed in a silver tube.
The starter will give the signal, and
the youth will sprint up Broadway, fol-
lowed by the automobile which is to
accompany the racers to Chicago.
The route will be up Broadway, and
at haif-mile from the starting point
the bearer of the silver tube will toss
it to the fleet-footed youngster await
ing him there, and he in turn will set
a flying pace to the next half-mile
point where another eager youth will
snatch the tube and after his half-mile
race will pass it to the next in the re-
lay line. So it will go day and night
until the tube, which by the time it
has reached Chicago will have passed
through nearly 1000 hands. is deliv-
cred to the mayor of that city.
Owing to the continuous course of
training which our boys undergo" said
Mr. a. A. Jameson, boys work director
of the Twenty-third street branch of
the Young Mems Christian association,
New York city, ''it would be quite pos
sible for us to pull this race off in a
week. We have EXTENDED the time of
the start, however, because Of neces-
sary road arrangements and the ap-
pointment of district superintendent
Our tryoutS have revealed the fact
that the boys average speed is about
2.48 for every half mile. Making al
lowanceS for possible bad weather and
poor roads, it is expected that the av-
erage speed of the race of 1000 miles
or more will be about a mile in eight
mikuteS. When you come to consider
that the age limit of the contestants is
Is years, and as the majority Of
these will not be over Is years old, the
plan becomes a significant test in ath-
letics. The time have mentioned will
undoubtedly be improved, and by
rough calculation we assume that the
race will be run in five days. The
first part of the race will be from city
hall, New York city. to city hall, York
ers, boy being stationed at that dis
lance for every half mile. We average
a distance from New York to Yonkers
at Is miles, which will be covered by
25 or 80 of our New York city, boys.
1.-THE schedule of our course from
New York to Buffalo will be as fol-
lows: New York to Yonkers, Ossining,
Newburg, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck,
Catskill, Hudson, Albany, Troy, Schen-
ectady, Johnstown. Little Falls, Utica,
Rome, Syracuse, Auburn, Geneva, Ca
nandaigua, Rochester, Batavia, Buffa-
10. The western division of the race
will be in charge of Mr. NJ D. Crackel
director of the West Side Boys club of
the Young Mems Christian association
of Cleveland, O., who will direct the
course from his town to the city hall
in Chicago. Mr.. Cracked deserves the
credit of being the originator of this
plan, as the outcome of the cross-coun-
try race he organized among his boys
from Cleveland to Erie. Each boy
will wear the athletic dress of the
Young Mems Christian association.
and will stand ready at his post to
takeSthe message from the hand of the
boy who has just finished his half mile
and dart Off with it at full speed. An
automobile will accompany each run
ner with an official timekeeper, who
wiz register his time. In this automo-
bile there VIII also be relief runner,
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