St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-09-02
The Great Marathon Race.
How the American Victory Was Received


don, and the general public must be so
confused by the conflicting articles that
am moved to tell the story as | saw it
on that beautiful Friday afternoon, the
Oath of July. There had been games on
all the afternoon; the pole vaulting con-
test had been decided bv two Americans,
each jumping II feet 2 inches, the next
best jump being II feet 9 inches The
800 metre relay race was won by Amer.
leans easy; the 100 metre hurdles also
went to America, and it seemed like an
American day in more senses than one,
with America S sturdy athletes piling up
victories under a boiling sun.
A little after o'clock the megaphone
man in a bright scarlet coat and silk hat
announced, "Clear the stadium track for
the Marathon runners" My seat was
an excellent one, being about IS yards
to the left of the Royal Box and all the
runners had to pass within 80 feet OF me
on their way to the tape which was
stretched across the track opposite the
Royal Box, marking the end Of the long
distance. 20 miles, $50 yards, from the
starting point at Windsor Castle. The
excitement at this time was great, for
would not England 5 crack runners, the
! best in the world, so said the English
men, lead the way from start to finish
as their strong point was long distance
running.
One hundred thousand people, all in
their best costumes and headgears,
crowded into the tiers OF seats and
stands encircling the stadium, made
a scene such as may be seen bat once in
a lifetime, and many may never see at
! all. Two men carried around a rudely
made banner, with the numbers of the
! three leading runners, at five miles and
nine and twelve miles, and they were all
| Engshmen. and there were a good
many very enthusiastic "Oh's" and
Abs but these died away when the
banners showed at 10 miles: Dorando
10; Hcfi.ron, the South African, S. and an
Engishman third; and when at 10 miles,
10, s and %, the latter Hayes, the
American, there was dead silence near
my seat, but over in the American section
there were things doing; but the banner
men laid the banners down before COM
pleting the circuit OF the track once, and
took out the number 26 and put no
other in its place, though it was more
than halt an hour before the runners APP
peared and we were all wondering il
Hayes had gone down under the Cruel
ling pace.
At last a mighty roar over by the gate
entrance opposite the Royal Box an
nounced that some one had arrived, but
then the cheering died away and almost
painful silence fell over the vast throng,
for who could cheer this staggering little
strip Of boy, who is SO dazed he cannot
see where to 60, whom the officials take
BY the shoulders and point him in the
right direction, and who lifts his feet
with a Jerk, puts them down uncertain.
", covers 80 yards in this staggering
hating, painful way, and then sinks to
the grouud-Doraudo, the Italian, d
pitiiul sight in full view of the plying
thousands. Then the officials lifted him
TO his feet and he went little way and
sank down again, again was lifted and
pushed and helped along, and the thirc
time he went down he was not over 81
yards from me, and | certainly thought
he was a dying man. Women were cry
ing, and men were shouting at the cruel
" of keeping him IN the course, yet once
more they assisted him forward, anc
when he went down the fourth time
three. men dragged and carried him over
the line. Just as Dorando went down the
third time, HAYES came in running
steady and strong and swung down The
track and finished at good pace the
first unassisted man to cross the line
soon followed by Hebron of Soutf
Africa, then by Forshaw of st. Louis
and Roy Welton of Lowell, a gooc
fourth, sprinting the last 100 yards a.
though he had plenty of reserve power
Much to my surprise, the Italian hag
was run up, acclaiming Dorando tn,
winner, though every man OF the a.
sembled thousands knew that he wa.
disqualified by the assistance he had re
ceived; and the judges decision was not
a mistake: it was deliberate attempt
to belittle the American victory.
Three out of the first four men over the
line were Americans, while England.
first was number 49,
How Dorando won the Marathon
was placarded all over London thai
evening and in the evening papers; tn,
next morning the papers said Hayes
won under protest, and made nothing o
the splendid race he ran.
Lord Desborough, President of tn,
Olympian games, at a banquet Friday
evening after the race Landed Dorando's
plucky run, told why the Englishmer
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