Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-07-31
Marathon Runs.

/ ClHCe TuuIifiS Ol 1Ae,D'N
Marathon race last week which was
one of the closing features of the
| Olympic games at London, there has
been more or less discussion over the
dropping of such long, hard races from
| athletic programs in the future. The
reason for this, of course. is the ex-
haustion to which the Italian runner.
Durando, forced himself in his brave
! struggle for the coveted prize.
He failed within a few hundred feet
! of the goal, the effect on his chance of
winning of course being just the same
as if he had dropped out at the mid
die of the 26 mile course or when it
| was two thirds completed. A lot of
runners did drop out after running
| twelve or fifteen miles, the man who
was regarded as the English champion
| being one OF them, and the Canadian
| Indian, Longboat who was the favor
| tie in the betting, being another. With
| Dorando the case was different. He
| had held out until the end was in
sight; his will had driven his body I'M
| til his body had lost all going power;
he could no longer see the path which
he was to follow, and his chin was
drawn down and backward SO as very
nearly to cut off his breath; he fell
and was lifted up and he fell again;
his will commanded his body to move
forward, but the body made only con-
yulsive and futile motions; he was
dead spent, and it was all horribly
tragic So some of the observers who
| witnessed the pathetic collapse of his
set purpose say no more such racing
But there is this to be said of those
long races--and it is the essential diff
ference between such contest and
one in which dumb animals partici-
pate-the young men who compete
| know what they are going into and
can stop when they want to. They are
| not allowed to start until the physician
has thoroughly examined them. If it
had been a horse which staggered and
! fell unconscious, after being forced
| with whip and spur over 26 mile
| finish tape in the stadium, there would
| have been good cause to oppose more
| races of that kind. But athletes know
| what they are doing; they like that
| sort Of thing and SO it is wholly prob
| able that they will continue to run
Marathon races, even if an occasional
runner, whose will is stronger than
| his lungs and legs, is carried off on a
| stretcher as the plucky Italian was.
| In that race America demonstrated its
superiority over the world in long dis
| lance running, which is after all one
| of the clcanest and best forms of
athletics Not only was the winner a
New York boy, but four other run
| Canada finished ahead of the first of
the II fleet Englishmen who partici-
| patcd in the race.
Speaking of the effects of long dis
lance runs, it must be remembered
that in that first famous Marathon
run, many centuries ago, the winner
fell dead as he reached the goal 1t
| was 400 years before the Christian era,
1898 years ago, that young Greclaf
soldier carried to Athens from the
bloody field of Marathon the news OF
the great victory of the Grecian army
distance was about "a miles and no
body knows, of course, how fast th'
| Young man covered it. He was a sol.
der who had taken part in the hare
battle and at the end of the September
day he carried the glorius tidings tt
the anxious city, falling lifeless as ne
gasped the one word "Victory" Hi:
name is lost, though Robert Browning
in his noble poem, "Pheidippdes.' as
| sumeS that to have been MS ha''ie
ana that he was the same runner wh'
had gone to Sparta to ask aid OF tina
E people for Athens against the FER
, SLAMS. But his deed lives. and il tn
modern Marathon races serve no oth
o, nnrnoso-which indeed they do
they are worth while to perpetuat
the memory of that heroic achieve
mcnt Of the old days.