The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-25
Hayes Crosses Tape a
 Winner.
 @S TRIUMPH FOR AMERICA. ' IN THE MARATHON RACE The Most Brilliant Athletic Event of Many Years.
 - one Hundred Thoasand Persons cheerea the Runners in the Greatest strug- gle Ever Witnessed on Land or water for Athletic
 Supremacy.

exaggeration in the opinion or any oL the 100000 spectators who witnessed the finishing struggle of the Marathon race at the Olympic arena, today. 10 say that 1t was the most brilliant atn letic event that has ever occurred since that Marathon race in ancient Grace, where the victor tell at the goal. and. with a wave oI triomphr died.
 The veteran athletes or nurope. America, Africa and Australia, Wno have seen the greatest struggle or every sort on land. on water. Tor atn- letic supremacy. declared that tnere was nothing comparable to the great race today within their memories or in the other olumpics since the modern cycle of these began
 Ii was a spectacle, the like of which no living man had ever seen and none who saw 1t expects ever to see It re- peated. The race itself, with hfty- eight of the best men winnowed from the runners of four continents compet- inG; the arena where 1t was. finished in the presence of an enormous cosmos s politan assemb lage, with the Queen or lEnaland, the royal representatives or several nations and hosts of finely dressed men and women from the most fashionable circles of Europe. as well as several thousand Americans and the dramatic and exciting denouement at the end. combined to make historA- cal day.
 Ii 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 Athletic Club runner, but In the splendid record made by the othar Americans who were well to the front in thS line Of those that finished.
 England and Amertras
 Since the beginning pf the olynplc games. the great rivalry mas Dsen ,Ds- fhe minor competitions or <ha b4NcK ey,d fleld n which the two nations spe- cialixed were fought out Engitsnrlen coneoled themselves for all the Amer ican successes by the tnougnt ss,.ss snas ~ tbe domain of long distance running thev always had been supreme ana Szhstever prizes they failed to grasp tn this the colonials would pick up
 The sequel may be told briefly DIX Americans started in the Maraelaos eNs race, and nine English runners the first ten men to reach the coVeteo roal. four were Americans and they are officially placed as follows: Hayes Sirst: Joseph Forsaw Missouri Athletic Club. third A. R. Welton, Lawrence V. M. e. A., fourth and Lewis Tewinina, the Carlisle Indian, ninth The second man was Heffron. of South Africa. lie was inc oldest among the runners, having s4 years to his credit, and he ynade a remarkable race almost to the end of the twenty-six miles of the struggle, but Hayes was the better man. Friends of Heffron expect that he Ia at his best at forty miles and that todav's event was too short for him. but certainly he is one of the most Ivonderful runners in the world.
 The first Englishman who crossed the line came in twelfth. He was W. T. Clarke. and was not one of those counted upon to win. Duncan, the for mer English champion. wno won the preliminary English trial. fell at the twelfth mile, and like several other contestants, was taken into a motor car and brought to the Stadium. 1t is isAconsidered that the race is not only a triumph for the the United States. but in a larger sense for America. The three Canadians Wood the Indian Simpson. and Lawson, finished fifth. sixth and seventh respectively. and with the representatives of the United States, deprived England of her claim to leadership in the long distance run ming branch of athletics.
 It will not snatch any 1aurels from the brow of Hayes. who won a good race, to say that the hero of the day was the Italian Dorando. The admira- tion and sympathy of every person in 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 impressive than Dorando's entrance into the Stadium. Ten min utes before the megaphone announced ''the runners are in sight" guns had .N InaA A@Na, at the nearest station of the course; an intense silence overhung the Stadium while the thousands awaited breath lessly the approach of the first man.
 For ten minutes all eyes were fo- cused on the gate almost directly op- posite the royal stand, where the con- testants were to enter. Finally after what seemed to be an intolerable sus- pense, a runner staggered down the incline leading to the track. He was clothed in a white shirt and red knee pants. He stood for a moment as though dazed and then turned to the left, although a red cord had been drawn about the track in the opposite direction for the runners to follow It was evident also to every one that the man was practically delirious- A squad of officials ran out and expostu- lated with him but apparently ne was afraid that they were trying to de- ceive him and fought to go on to the left. At length he turned about and started on the right path along the track. Then followed an exhibition never to be forgotten by any one who witnessed it.
 The coiors and the number told the spectators that 1t was Dorando and ms name was on every lip. He staggered along the cinder path like g man in dream, and his gait being neither walk nor run. but simply founder, with arms shaking and legs tottering. By devious ways he went on. People had lost thought of his nationality and partisanship was forgotten. They rose in their seats and saw only this small man clad in red pants tottering on- ward with his head so bent forward that his chin rested on his chest. They knew nothing of him as he had