The Washington herald., 1909-05-02

Probably nothing has sprung Up IN pub
lie favor as fast as Marathon races.
From the very day when Dorando Pietri.
INC pIucky little Italian. fell unconscious
within fifty feet OF the finish line in
the last Olympic games and Johnny
Hayes, Of America. game snd plucky,
came along and gron the race, did the
Marathon races first become real pas
tine IN the world OF sport. Before that
nothing much was thought OF Marathon
races, other than the race being al event
OF the Olympic games But that Hayes
Dorando finish started the ball a-rolling,
and now it seems as though Marathon
races are being run al over the country,
not only on the cinder path, but on roller
skates and In dancing and waltzing. and
so on.
50 far there have already been raced in
1903 more Marathons than there have
been run during the last ten years The
principal ones this year were those be-
tween Johnny Hayes and D0rando Pietri
three different events. buth turning pro
fessionsl since the last. Olympic race
The others were between Longbost and
Shrubb and LOngbOat and Dorando, and
the one which decided the championship
of the world, al New York. which was
won by St. Yves. Henri St Yves is prac-
ticaIly unknown, and with limbs so small
that K was considered q joke 10 run him
scsInst such men as Hayes LongbOat
Shrubb, and DorandO- He set a new rec
ord ii his race on April g.
Where Experts Differ.
Experts differ as 10 whether in running
Marathon il Injuries the runners health
or in any way injuries his heart
Where It probably does hurt more IS
when It Is run among the younger set Of
athletes. As the famous Nike Murphy
says. no fellow under twenty-One years
should try 10 run a fun Marathon dis
tsnce. which is g miles and So yards.
Nike Is right. There should be no young
man trying 10 accomplish such a feat,
lest he severely iujure himself When
one reaches the age Of tweaty-one, or,
say. twenty-five or twenty-three, he IS
built 10 do such work and stand the
strain Those under that age are not by
any means built for such a race and
should not attempt 10 run one
Practical athletes also differ lot in
the way OF training for MarathOns. Some
ike lots OF time 10 get into perfect shape.
while others do not require much time.
Then there are some that hardly train al
all. Take. for instance, Tom Longbost
considered 70 be the greatest runner OF
the age. The fact that LOngbOat does not
train as the majority Of athlets do must
lave shown its result IN the great Mara
thon Derby. when ne collapsed in the
nineteenth mile LOngboat never goes
through special training for Marathons
& l.
viii eat what he wants and run and
sleep Whenever he feels Ike It. During
what is supposed to be training time the
Indian smokes from six 10 eight black
cigars day and drinks all the liquor he
sees 1T
Coming down 10 the history Of Mara
thOR. We find that the word is derived
from an ancient village on the east coast
OF Attica, about twenty miles northeast
or Athens, now called Marathons.
Il was situated n a plain Of the same
name, about six miles IN length and three
in breadth. with a background Of noun
tains IN the west and a marsh both on
the north and south; eastward 1t reached
the sea ByTons lines III The Isle Of
Greece" correctly describes It
The mountains look OF Marathon,
and Marathon LOCKS On the seas.
The First Marathon.
Marathon is gioriously memorable as
the scene OF the grand defeat Of the Per-
sian hordes of Darius by the Greeks un-
Ger 8Iltiades tls5 B c.. Anltiades buried
192 Of his men upon the field and the Per
sian dead numbered some 6. 90 The city
of Athens awaited the outcome IN fever
fsh excitement. and the story IS told that
a soldier. whose name IS unknown. ran
the whole distance from the battlefield
~ the city 10 bear the news Of the great
victory, falling dead from fatigue as the
message left his lips. The Grecian gov
eminent in the year Of 1885 established
the Marathon race on the old road on
which the nameless hero ran to perpetu-
ste the worlds admiration Of his self
sacrificing deed And it certainly looks
perpetual
Thus the first Official Marathon race
was run in 1896. but history shows that
really the first one vas run 40 years be
fore Christ The first man who ever at
tempted TO run a Marathon race died OF
fatigue. His age is not given. not even
his name. Il clearly shows that one must
train for such an event, lest he suffer
the same fate as the poor, unfortunate
colder
The first Marathon race in this country
vas held under the auspices OF the Bos-
ton Athletic Association on April 1s. 1897.
the year after the one held in Greece
John Graham, athletic director OF the
Boston A A. was the promoter Of the
race The start was made at Ashland,
Mass, and the finish was az the Irving
ton Oval. on Irvington street in Boston
!usf twenty-five miles rom the start The
race was won by J. J. McDermott, Of the
Pzstime A. C., in 2.55:Io. There were If
teen starters, and at that time every one
was thought crazy 70 attempt to run such
lengthy course. J. J. Herman, Of New
York. was second, almost one hour be-
hind McDermOtt. McDe-mOtt lost nine
pounds in running the race
In 1885 another one was attempted.
which was won by r Mcdonald IN 2:42
The first New York Marathon race was
held in New York City OF September .Is,
Ise7. The distance was twenty-five miles,
snd eighteen finished out Of thirty en-
tries J. J McDeTmott won the race in
9.S;55 % H. Gray vas second.
u the 's9s they ran twenty-five miles