The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-07-28
N. ]. CARTMELL, THE AMERICAN
RUNNER.

MES, grouped under the United King
dom, have been the chief rivals. OF
these the United States won fifteen
firsts to ten by the United Kingdom.
This is the usual English method of
counting
Under the international system Of
points, giving fivesto first, three to sec
one and one to third, America leads
the Britons by ia 1-3 points to &C 1-3.
The distance run in the Marathon
race was 26 miles and 3S5 yards. The
time was 2 hours "a minutes SO Sec
onds.
The veteran athletes of Europe,
America, Africa and Australia, who
have seen the greatest struggle of ev-
cry sort on land and water for ath-
letic supremacy, declared that there
was nothing comparable to the great
race within their memories or in the
other Olympiads since the modern cy-
Gle Of these began.
1t was an American day, and the for
mer resentments which ranked strong
ly in the breasts Of Americans here
when they came to the Stadium were
forgotten not only in the victory Of
John +. Hayes, the Irish-American
Athletic club runner, but in the splen-
did record made by the other Ameri-
cans who were we'll to the front in
the line of those that finished.
Six Americans started in the Mara
thon race and nine English runners.
OF the first ten men to reach the COW
eted goal four were Americans, and
they are officially placed as follows:
Hayes, first; Joseph Forshaw, Missouri
Athletic club, third; A. r. Weton,
Lawrence Y. M. G. A., fourth, and
Lewis Tewinina, the Carlisle Indian,
ninth. The second man was Hefferon
of South Africa. He was the oldest
among the runners, having thirty-four
years to his credit, and he made a re-
markable pace almost to the end of
the twenty-six miles of the struggle,
but Hayes was the better man.
The first Englishman who crossed the
line came in twelfth. He was w. T.
Clarke and was not one of those count
ed upon to win.
1t is considered generally that the
race is not only triumph for the
United States, but in a larger sense for
America, because seven of the leaders
at the end were from north America
The three Canadians-W the In
dian Simpson and Lawson-hnished In
fifth, sixth and seventh places respec-
lively and, with the representatives OF
the United States, deprived England
Of its claim to leadership in the long
distance running branch of athletics
A big surprise of the race was the
retirement Of Longboat, the Canadian
Indian runner. He quit at the TWEEN,
tieth mile, his injured leg going back
on him. Up to this time he was a
serious competitor
Dorando, the Italian runner, called
In all quarters the real hero of the
Marathon race for his pluck, stagger-
~ Into tha Stadium in the lead His
shaking legs would hardly support his
tired body, and his mind was mud
died SO that he faltered about the di-
rection he should take, although the
path lay clear before him.
Urged on, he reeled down the path
until he fell in a heap and lay like one
dead. He was assisted to his feet,
only to fall again and again, until he
was half dragged, half carried across
the line in an unconscious condition.
AT first he was proclaimed victor by
the officials, but the American protest
against him, because of the assistance
rendered to him in the Stadium, was
Needed, and the race was awarded to
HAYES.