Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-07-25
AMERICA WINS.

| London, July Alt would be no cX
aggcration by any of the 1906 spec
tators who witnessed the final struggle
| in the Marathon race at the Olympic
arena today to say that it was the mos
thrilling athletic event that has occur.
red since that Marathon race in ancient
| Greece when the victor fell at the goa
and with a gesture of triumph, died
The veteran athletes of Europe
! America. Africa and Australia, who
| have seen the, greatest struggle OF
every sort on land and water, for ath-
| letic supremacy, declared that there
was nothing comparable to the great
race today within their memories OF
in the other Olympiads since the mod
ern cycle of these began.
1t was a spectacle, the like Of which
none living had ever seen, and none
who saw it expect to see repeated. In
the race 5S of the best men, winnowed
from the runners of four continents
competed and in the arena where it
was finiSned in the presence of an
enormous cosmopolitan aS5cmblage
We're the Queen Of England, the royal
representatives of several nations and
hosts of finely dressed men and women,
from the most fashionable circles of
Europe as well as several thousand
Americans; these features and the
dramatic and exciting denouement
at the end combined to make an hiStor-
ical day.
1t was an American day. and the re-
sentiments of yesterday, which ranked
strongly in the breasts of Americans
here when they came to the stadium
this afternoon, were forgotten not only
in the victory of John f. Hayes, the
Irish American a. G. runner, but in the
splendid record made by the other
Americans who are we'll to the front
amer those who finished.
Since the beginning of the Olympic
games, the great rivalry has been be
tween England and America, and While
the minor competitions of the track
and field, in which the two nations
specialized We're fought out, English
men consolcd themselves for all the
American successes by the thought
that in the domain of long distance
running they had always been su-
preEe, and whatever prizes they failed
to grasp in this department, the col
onsts would pick up.
The sequel may be told briefly. Six
Americans started in the Marathon
race and nine English runners. OF the
first 10 men to reach the coveted goal
four were Americans and they are Of
ficially placed as follows:
Hayes, first; Joseph ForshaW, Mis-
souri, A. G., third; A. r. Wclton, Law
renee Y. M. c. A., fourth; aud Lewis
TeWinina, the Carlisle Indian, ninth.
The second man was Hefferon, of
South Africa He was the oldest among
the runners, being 81 years old. and he
kept up remarkable pace almost to
the end of 26 miles of the struggle, but
Hayes was the better man. Friends of
Hetferon explained that he is at his
best at 40 miles and that today's event
was too short for him, but certainly he
is one of the most wonderful runners
in the world.
The first Englshman who crossed the
line came in 18th. He was w. Il. Clarke
and was not one of those counted upon
to win. Duncan, the former English
champion, who won the preliminary
English trial, fell out at the 18th mile
and, like several other contestants
was taken into a motor car and brought
| to the stadium.
| 1t is considered generally that the
| race is not only triumph Tor the
United States, but in larger sense fol
| America, because seven Of the leaders
at the end were from North America
| The three Canadians, Wood, the In
| dian Simpson and Lawson finished IN
| 3th, 9Th and 7th places respectively and
with the representatives of the United
States deprived England of its claim
| to leadership in the long distance run
ming branch of athletics.
1t will not snatch any laurels from
| the brow of Hayes, who won good
race, to say that the hero of the day
was the Italian Dorando. The admlra-
tion and sympathy of every person III
the Stadium went out to the gallant
Italian who, although he did not win
deserved to win, and did more within
the limit of his powers than any other
man who ran. The crisis in a battle
on which the life of nation hunG
could hardly have been more impress
sive than Dorando's entrance into the
Stadium. Ten minutes before the meg
aphone announced "the runners are il
sight" guns had proclaimed the ar
rival of the leaders at the nearest sta
ton of the course; an intense silence
| overnung the Stadium, while the
thousands awaited breathlessly tho
approach Of the first man.
For 10 minutes all eyes were focused
| on the gate, almost directly opposite
| the royal stand, where the contestant:
were to enter. Finally. after what
seemed TO be an intolerable suspense
runner staggered down the incline
leading to the track. He was clothed
in white shirt and red knee trousers
| He stood for moment as though dazet