The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-25
DORANDO, TIE ITALIAN,
 FALLS UNCONSCIOUS AT
 ENTRANCE OF STADIUM
Hayes, the American, Comes In Sec ond, But as the Italian Is Unable To Complete the Race the
 American Is Given
 the Prize.

London. July 24-1t would be no exag- geration in the opinion of any Of the loo'oVc spectators who witnessed the struggle O. 1ho Marathon race at the Olympic arena today. to say that 1t was the most bril- liant athletic event that has ever occur red since that Marathon race in ancient Greece, where the victor fell at the goal and with wave of triumph died,
 The veteran athletes of Europe, Amer i1a, Africa and Australia, who have seen the greatest struggle of every sort on land on water, for athletic supremacy declared that there was nothing coinpar able to the great race today within thelI memories or in the other Olynpics since .he modern cycle of these began.
 It was a spectacle. the like of which nc living man had ever seen and none who saw it expects eyer to see it re- heated The race itself, with 5e of the best men winnowed from the runners or cuur continent competing, the arena where 1t was finished in the presence cf an enormous cosmopolitan assemolage' with the Queen of England, the royal rep fesentatives of several nations and hosts of finely dressed men and women front inc most fashionable circles of Europe ss well as several thousand Americans and the dramatic and exciting denoue- .nent at the end, combined to make an historic day.
 An American Day.
 If was an American day and resentmehts of yesterday, which ranked strongly Tn The breasts of Americans here when they came to the stadium this afternoon, were sorpotten not only in the victory of Johh F. Hayes, the American A. C. run ner but in the splendid record made py inc other Americans who were to the front in the line of those that finished
 Since beginning of the Olympic games the great rivalry has been between England and America and while the minor com petitions on the track and field in Wnlch ihe two nations specialized were fought cut Englishmen consoled themselves TOT s.ll the American successes by the thought that in the main of long distance running tney always had been supreme, and what ever prizes they failed to grasp in this inc coonials would pick up.
 The sequel may be told briefly, Six Amerfcanssstarted in the Marathon ra e. and nine English runners. Of the first ID men to reach the coveted goal four were Americans, and they are officially place ss follows
 Marathon Winners.
 Hayes. first; Joseph Forshaw, Missouri A. C., third; A. R. Welton, Lawrence l. Nj. c. A, fourth, and Lewis Tewanina' line Carlisle Indian, ninth. The second r1an was Hefferon of south Africa. lie was the oldest among the runners, having A years to his credit and he made a re- J4arlable race almost to tEe end or the 2G miles of the struggle, but Hayes was inc better man. Friends of Hefferon eX- pect that he is at his best at 40 miles. and that todays event was too short TOT blm. but certainly he is one of the mos. wonderful runners In the world.
 The first Eugiishman who crossed the line came in twelfth. He was w. T. Clark md was not one of those counted upon To win Duncan, the former Enghsh champion, who won the preliminary Ens fish trial, fell at the twelfth mile ana like several other contestants, was taked into a motor car and brought to the stadium. 1t is considered that the race is not only a triumph for the United states but in larger sense for America because seven of the leaders at the ehI i, ere from North America. The three Canadians. Wood. the Indian, Simpson ard Lawson finished fifth, sixth anc seventh. respectively, and with the rep Ntativess of the United States deprive sG 9usaaa sa is sPases sss'6inS ai s %
 Credit To Dorando.
 It will not snatch any laurels from the brow of Hayes who won a good race, to say that the hero of the day was the ltal' ian Dorando. The admiration and sym pathy of every person in the stadium went out to the gallant Italian, who, although he did not win deserved to win, and dlo more within the limits of his power thai any other man who ran. The crisis Tn battle on which the life of nation huns could hardly have been more impressive than Dorando's entrance into the sta alum. Ten minutes before the mega nhone announced "the runners are ir sight" guns had proclaimed the arrival of the leaders at the nearest station oi the course; an intense silence overhune inc stadium while the thousands await ed breathlessly the approach of the hrs' man.
 For ten minutes all eyes were focused on the gate opposite the royal stand where the contestants were to enter Finally after what seemed to be an in tolerable suspense a runner staggered down the incline leading to the track He was clothed in a white shirt and rec knee pants. He stood for a moment a' though dazed and then turned to the left although red cord had been drawn about the track in the opposite direction fol
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