The Washington times., 1909-06-12

/ =
well as by numbers. II is prolS bly, the
most representative aggregation that
has ever taken part IN a purely local
/ sporting event. Men from practically
| every university and college within the
bounds Of Baltimore and Washington,
athletic clubs, and high schools have
/ entrants among the starters.
| Kept To Home Talent
| The Times might have gotten a larger
field by importing out-of-town talent
/ but il believed the place TO develop local
athletics was at home. The Importation
of out-of-town athletes Is all right for
( exhibition purposes. but when home
sports are TO be boomed Il is believed
/ the men would rather compete against
men IN their own class than. against
men who have an unsurmOuntable ad-
vantage in experience and In training
The class Of the race, as those who saw
il todav did not suffer from this policy
Closer and more spirited competition Tor
/ the team victory as wen as tof N
dividual places Is ASSURED.
The class OF the sport was g ealy en-
HANGED by the policy announced at the
start not to admit any man VINO was
not physically able to nun the Iull as
taucp It was not the mention TO swell
the entry list at the expense Of en-
daneeriug the athletes The medical
1 examiners were not only physicians who
I
I'm washington, but who have had ex-
perience in the work o. eXamlnB am
letes through their connection with the
Y NJ c. A. staff.
The prizes we're as expensive as the
rules of the A. A. u. would permit. The
team trophy was one Ct the handsOmest
prizes ever given IN an athletic event
/ in this section. It was a figure or
: Maratbon runner in action made in
bronze and mounted on a mahogany
base. The whole stood twenty-five
inches high.
Medals Presented.
The gold medal. set with a diamond,
was not only more costly thai cup,
but, 1t was believed, would prove more
acceptable to the winner. Five gold
medals to the next group of five. Every
one thereafter who crossed the tape
within an hour after the winner finished
was awarded a bronze medal All Of
these were inscribed with the name of
the event with a place left in which to
engrave the winners name
The course of the run was selected
with a view Of affOuding a genuine test
without working a hardship on the run
ners. A number Of other features had
TO he considered Because of the wide
Interest in the race II was deemed
proper to designate "a route through the
city, where the progress Of the runners
might be seen without difficulty. 1t
was also desirable that the finish should
be in front Of the Munsey building,
where spectators might at the same
time watch the finish and hear The
Times bulletins Of the progress of the
run.
such a course was found IN that from
Laurel 10 Fifteenth and I strseSs and
frCm there to the Muns'-y Building by
/ way of Maryland avenue and Pennsyl-
Vanta avenue.
The arrangements for reporting the
race ina front of lhe Munsey Building
were unique. II was something entirely
unheard of in any distance race ever run
! in this country. Thousands wa 1ched
the imUense sCoreDOaris as thev told
the progress ef the race from each file
mikes. This picture story of the ruE
ves supplemented by a megaphOne man
were phoned to him BY men stationed
all along thu route at points one mile
apart between Laurel and Washington.
Many Drawbacks.
The runners have been under as much
Of a handicap as the promoters OF the
race and their showing is all the more
to be commended on that account. The
weather could hardly have been worse
/ for training. Intermittent showers have
only been relieved by sultry days. At
very distant intervals came a clear
/ cool day, when a runner could put IN
his best strokes
trained faithfully. Few -rfed 10 shirk
/ their daily workout and run the ra -
] on their nerve" Every evening the
Speedway, the Zoo Park, the Soldiers
Home grounds. md the course itself
have been sprinkled with runners. Each
I Sunday various organizations have
taken trial runs over the road from
Laurel to Washington and this aroused
almost as much interest as a cross
country rHi-
The lnterCity Marathon of TODAY is
the hrst Intercity event of it's nature
. ever conducted In this country. It IS
also the first race of twenty miles or
over TO be run south OF New York
city From both OF these facts The
. Times believes 10 viii mark an epoch in
sports south Of the Empire State. II
" can widen interest in track athletics
and bring Washington a little f.nre
prominent place on the athletic mar, The
emily worth while