Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-04
BIC MARATHON RACE
WON BY ST. YVES
Little Frenchman Surprises
10000 Spectators by Easily
Defeating Star Runners.
Special pisnatch 10 The Star.

crowd OF more than 10000 spectators
saw Henri ST. Yves of France win
the ten-thousand- dollar Marathon go
miles 3S5 YARDS with comparative
ease at the new Polo Grounds this
afternoon. st. Yves. who had never been
seen before in this country, afforded a
surprise by setting a smashing
pace a greater part of the distance and
by passing the finish post with four laps
to spare in 2.40.D2-5
Dorando Pietri, the famous Italian
Marathon runner. finished second in
2.45.37, with about three and three-auar-
ter laps over John j. Hayes. the little
Irish American. who won the London
Olympic Marathon last summer. Hayes
ran the distance in 2.49.27. and took third
money from Matt. j. Maloney by a rather
small advantage. the latter's figures being
- 90 49, Tom Longboat, the Canadian In
dian, was run OF his feet after going
enteen miles, and stopped for repairs. He
was induced to resume, but after several
weak attempts to stick il out he finally
quit after finishing twenty miles and five
laps
Alfred Shrubb, the noted English pro-
fessional, who battled with st. Yves with
superb sameness and ran on even terms
with him for tribe more than eighteen
miles. could not stand the F'renchmans
in desperate attempt to secure second
money he broke down several times, and
when Dorando Oyerhauled him at the end
of twenty-four miles and three laps IL
was all over with the Englishman. When
Shrubb had finished twenty-five miles and
two laps. bundled up in a heavy sweater
and so footsore and weary that he could
scarcely take A stride, he was compelled
to throw up the sponge and leave the
track.
Unfavorable Conditions.
The race was run under decidedly I'M
favorable weather and track conditions
A drizzling rain fell nearly all the after
noon, and because of the soggy condi-
ton of the outfield Referee Tim Hurst
decided at noon that the Marathon should
be run over a six-lap track. greater
part of the race, therefore. was run over
the grass, and, as the turf was thor
oughly rain-soaked. fast time was out
Of the question. Had tho weather been
pleasant and the going dry st. Yves might
have hung up new worlds record for
the Marathon distance. but as 1t turned
out he was unable to equal the best time
on record for race of this kind out OF
DOORS. &c. 26 1-5-made by Maloney when
an amateur several months ago In a
race from Rye, n. Y, to Columbus Circle.
ST. Yves is not yet twenty-one years
old, but today he Is regarded as the great
est long distance runner in the world. he
has never been beaten, winning g. Mara
thon at Edinburgh, Scotland, last De-
cember. in 40 from a good field, and
is said to have covered the distance from
Windsor Castle to the stadium at Shep-
herds Bush in the remarkable time OF
2.31.23. This time is said to have been
made i'm a private trial, and IL authentic
1t excels Hayes figures in the London
Marathon last summer by nearly twenty
minutes. st. Yves was waiter In Lon
don restaurant year ago, without dol
1n,. Nol limo int i'm In
Marathon fever. he took up running, and
quickly demonstrated that he possessed
sterling qualities. Al Copeland. Prince
tons athletic trainer, heard of st. Yves
few weeks ago and brought him 10
this country; but as nobody had seen
him in action and as Copeland prepared
him for the derby in comparative secret
at Princeton, he did not receive serious
consideration by the general sporting pub
lie in calculating the respective merits
of the six starters
In appearance ST. Yves does not look
like a runner. He is short in stature
built like a wrestler, with powerful
legs. broad shoulders, deep chest and
muscular arms. His hair is light. and
he has a small mustache which does not
hide an excellent set Of teeth. But re-
gardless of his appearance, st. Yves
showed the big crowd at the Brush sta
dunn today that when it comes TO
speed and endurance there Is not
Marathon runner, professional or anna
have taken his measure in the form that
he displayed. st. Yves ran the Marathon
distance in faster time than that re-
corded in any Of the recent indoor races
in Madison Square Garden. At the very
beginning of the race he began TO show
dazzling speed, and when he covered
the first seven miles in 39.42 20, he
smashed the garden figures.
He made the running up to the eleN-
enth mile with an ease that astonished
the multitude, but at that point Shrubb.
who had been travelling at a slower pace
than usual. with Dorando and Longboat
close at hand, suddenly took a notion To
test the grit and fieetness of foot OF
the Frenchman.
st. Yves Was Game.
So Shrubb. leaving Dorando and Long,
boat with a brilliant turn Of speed. over
hauled st. Yves, and was the leader at
the end of the eleventh mile. But in
spite of all that Shrubb could do in the
way of setting a heart-breaking pace, he
found it impossible to shake off his
plucky antagonist and after going eight
cen miles ST. Yves. firing of the long
duel. drew away as Shrubb began To
show signs of WEAKNESS and rushed on
to brilliant victory.
When st. Yves finished his nineteenth
mile in 1.51.24, which was faster time
than that recorded in any indoor Mara
thon IL was only "A question or endur-
ance with him. No other man in the
race had a chance to live with him. and
as he sped around the track. now sprint
ing at top speed and then relapsing into
an. easy trot. he convinced the wildly
excited crowd that he was master OF
the situation. Without the slightest
signs of distress and apparently able to
run the race over again, St. Yves finish
ed i'm a blaze of glory He was carried
off the field by a dozen excited French
men. who Rugged and kissed him as they
hurried out of sight
But when st. Yves fin his triumph had
disappeared there was the bitterest kind
of a fight under way for the rest Of the
$40, 900 prize. ST. Yves had won 5000 of
it and Shrubb. though weak and groggy.
had stuck it out as long as nature would
permit i'm order to corral the $500 In
second money, but when Shrubb was
practically carried to the dressing rooms
Dorando, who at one time looked as IL he
were ready TO quit, plucked up courage
and kept pegging away with just enough
speed and strength to keep a safe dis
lance between himself and game little
Hayes. While ST. Yves killed on 6hrubb
and thus enabled Dorando to finish second.
il was regarded as a piece OF good luck
for the Italian. Dorando did not begin to
run up TO his indoor form and dropped
back from the terrific pacemaking much
earlier in the race than usual But he
stuck il out to the end. and New York's