The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-03
TOM LONGBOAT
 FAVORITE IN
 MARATHON RUN
Threatening Weather May Result in Postponement But Start Will Be Made
 If Rain Keeps Off.
Polo Grounds Scene of His toric Combat that Prom ises to Be Greatest Event of Its Kind World Has Record Of.

ACSSoIo W
 s1o.OOO Marathon Derby. Distance.
 26 miles, ss5 yards. Place. Polo
 Grounds.
 Track, five laps to a mile. Best
 time any of contestants full course
 is 2:31:23 made by Henri St. Yves
 in France and duplicates his
 handlers claim. from Shepperd's
 Bush to London.
 Contestants and their time:
 Thomas Longboat. Canadian Ind
 ian. 2:25:O5 2-5; Dorando Pietri,
 2:4x:20 3-5; Johnny Hayes. Olympic
 winner. America, 2:44:4O 1-5; Mat
 thew Maloney, Ireland. 2:S6:25 1-5;
 Henri St. Yves. France. PSI :23,
 made over Olympian Marathon
 course: Fred Shrubb, England.
 2:24:05 for g miles.
 Winners purse s5,0O0; second, s2,-
 500; third, $1, 800; and fourth s1,000.
 Betting, Longboat 2 to 5; Dorando
 to 5; shrubb to 2; Maloney 5 to
 1: Hayes to 1; St. Yves to l.
 Starter, Senator ''Tim Sullivan.
 Referee, Tim Hurst Start of race
 D. m Finish about 5:45 p. m.
 New York, April 3.-On the historic rsolo Grounds. made doubly famous last year by the great fight for the pennant between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Giants the greatest runners in the world will compete this afternoon in a. Marathon Derby Not only will the winner be hailed as the worlds greatest Marathon runner but he will receive $5,000 of the $1001t purse.
 America, Canada, Ireland. England France and Italy will be represented in the race which will rival any prev ious exhibition of this famous Greek classic.
 America is represented by Little Johnny Hayes the winner of the Olym- pic race last year. Matthew Maloney who up to the time he turned profes- sional was the peer of all amateurs, will try to capture the honor for Old the Indian. at present the champion of them all. Dorando Pietri who col lapsed in the Olympic race last year when he all but had that classic won will represent Italy; Alfred Shrubb, who is without an equal in distances up to 20 miles. will try to uphold the honor of John Bull while Henri St. Yves. a new conner on this side, is the French entrant.
 Despite the fact that each of the contesants has a host of admirers Longboat has been made the favorite in the betting. due to the number of Canadians who are backing the Indian and also to the fact that he has beaten both Dorando and Shrubb. Dorando has been made second choice.
 Several wagers have been made on man against man. Maloney being picked by some to beat Hayes and Shrubb to defeat Longboat and Do- rando.
 At 3 o'clock the men will be sent on theire long journey of 26 miles and 3S5 yards, by Senator ''Tim" Sullivan. The race will be run on a five lap track. Each contestant will have three at tendants and a physician and the at designated at the trackside by the National flag of the country he repre- sents. They are placed sixty yards apart The American flag. which will be at Hayes stand, is at the home plate. Longboat with a combination of the British flag and the emblem of Canada. is at first base: the French flag for St. Yves is in right field; Shrubb 'has center with the English flag: Dorando's colors are at left field and Maloney with the Irish flag is at third base.
 Weather conditions. which had been superb the last few days the sun dry ing out the track until it was as hard as nails. were cloudy this morning wi h every indication that rain will fall. Should it rain the race will be post pcned. until the first clear day.
 Tim Hurst. the American league um- pire is the official referee.