Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-06
ATHLETES READY
FOR LONG RACE
FINISH TRAINING FOR RUN TO
VENICE
OFFICIALS APPOINTED AND ALL
DETAILS ARRANGED
Marathon Contest Over Seventeen
Mile Route to Seaside City, Under
Auspices of l. A. A. c., Attract
ing Great Attention
BY CHESTER LAWRENCE

west of the Rocky mountains to be run
during the morning of Admission day,
September 9, under the auspices of the
Los Angeles Athletic club.
The event will consist of a seventeen
mile endurance run from the Los An
geles Athletic club at 534k South
Spring street to the annex of the Los
Angeles Athletic club at Venice. The
contestants will be received at the fin
ish by practically all of the 800 MEM
bers of the club, and thousands of An
gelenos are planning to be at the
finish.
Although the race will start at 8
o'clock the crowds that gather about
the finish line at Venice will know of
the progress of the race by the ald
of The Herald bulletin board, which
will be operated at the annex. A rep
resentative of The Herald will accom-
pany the runners and at intervals viii
notify another representative at Ven
ice by long distance telephone of the
progress of the race, and also which
contestant is ahead, who drops out or
is exhausted, thus making 1T possible
for the crowds to ascertain how the
race is being run long before the win
ner reaches Venice. In addition to The
Herald bulletin there will be free pro-
grams scattered through the crowd
telling the course of the race, the
names and numbers of the contestants.
viii Be Spectacular Event
Never before in the history of the
Los Angeles Athletic club has there
been such excitement displayed over
an athletic event as there is over this
long distance run to Venice. Although
many members had signfied their IN
tention to enter the run who were
later advised by their physicians and
~ atf t11a hpCAHEa
of their physical conditions, there will
be enough runners in the race to make
II one of the most spectacular contests
ever witnessed in this part of the
country Many of the boys who Will
make the run are ranked among the
best athletes in the west and represent
many branches of sport in the club.
from boxing and wrestling to rowing
and fencing. All who will participate
in the run have been training faithfully
for the event and each man is in the
race to win. This latter fact Will make
it impossible for any man to cross the
finish line the winner without first hav-
ing been pressed by practically every
man in the run for the coveted position
of first place.
About the Course
The course is as good a one as could
be found in Southern California. With
the exception of the first two miles the
runners will have a good dirt road.
Thev will start down Spring street and
run into Main street. Continuing along
Main street, the course will be to
Adams street, where they Will turn
sharp to the right and run along West
Adams street. AS the boys will likely
reach Adams street about OILS o'clock
it is not supposed that many of them
will be willing to take advantage of
either side of the road, which will be |
shaded by the overhanging trees, be-
cause il will be likely to cause run |
ner to lose his stride on account of the |
unevenness of the road. The runners |
will have the advantage of a hard dirt |
road until they reach Hoover street. |
From there on, about six miles, the |
road is soft. At Western avenue the !
runners will strike an abrupt hill which |
rises gradually for about quarter or
a mile, terminating at Cedar place. |
Then after a decline of about an eighth |
of a mile there is another hill which |
is not so steep as the first hill but just |
as long. After this last hi! there is
another steep decline, and then more
level road
About five miles out the runners will |
strike the oiled roads, and larring un-
usually hot weather will be a great |
comfort on the runners feet. In case |
the weather is hot the oiled roads VIII
be apt to be sticky. and may interrupt
the progress of the participants IT, |
however a runner finds the latter to
be the case he will be able to run on
either side of the road where the going |
is dry, although thick with dust.
viii Direct Boys
The hard dirt on Washington boule- |
ward will be a change from the soft, |
oiled dirt of West Adams street. About |
100 yards beyond the point where |
Washington boulevard and Adams |
street meet. is a bridge which is 91A |
miles from the club house.
Unless there is a strong wind blow |
ing from the sea at the time the run |
ners strike the boulevard. the athletes |
will find the running easier and rest |
ing. 1t may be advisable to run about |
a half mile on the toes, and drop TO |
the fiat foot again when the Ivy sta
tlon is reached.
Beyond Ivy station the running will !
be all down grade4 with good road. |
The only piece of exceedingly bad road |
that the runners will be obliged to |
cover will be stretch about quarter
of mile long between the point where |
the second turn is made at Washing |
ton boulevard, and the railroad cross !
ing at Fredericks A sharp turn to the |
left at the railroad crossing will bring |
the runners on another stretch OF
asphalt about 300 yards long. The last
stretch viii be run in the heat of the
Court will have men stationed along |
the latter part of the course who will |
direct the boys regarding the many |
turns.
Van Courts Wisdom
A slight change has been made in the
latter part of the course which is as
follows: "Instead of following the regu-
lar automobile course on the last quar-
Ter mile of the course the clerk of the
course will have men stationed in front
of the bridge that crosses the lagoon
into the Midway, and the runners VIII
run through the Midway, which will be
roped off for the occasion, and then
cross the tracks of the Los Angeles
Pacific railroad and run down Wind
ward avenue and turn to right when
the promenade is reached and finish
AT the entrance to the annex to the
Los Angeles Athletic club, which is
situated in a portion of the new bath
house.
Cots viii be spread in the gymnasium
for the use Of the runners when they
finish. De Witt c. Van Court will have
men ready to catch the runners as they
cross the line. This latter precaution
was taken by the gray-haired kid"
because he has been in the busi-
ness long enough to know, as he eX-
pressed yesterday: IF there is a bit of
run left in any man when he reaches
Venice that man will run, even though
L is caused by nothing more than prlde.
When they reach the finish line they
will doubtless collapse, and 1t Is neces-l