The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-08
MODERN VARIATIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

Today on the course at the polo
grounds New York City, will be run that
most classic of all athletic events, the in
ternationaI Marathon. This will be the
greatest race Of its kind yet run. There
is a purse of $1,000 for which all run
ners from all over the world will COM
This is another proof Of the prevalence
of Marsthonitis. disease that first al
fected the Greeks nearly five hundred
years before the beginning of the Christ
ian ers. and which has recently obtained
a secure grip on Americans in a manner
without precedent in the annals Of anna
teur sport ON this hemisphere.
When Johnny Hayes. comparatively
lesser light in athletic circles in New
York. carried the Stars and Stripes to
victory by winning the Marathon in the
renewal Of the ancient Olympic games IN
the London stadium in 1908. he not only
achieved everlasting glory for himself
but caused a revival of interest in long
distance running. the like Of which
America has never known. Since the
triumph of Hayes nearly every city in
this country has had Marathon races
While il was generally conceded that
the team from the United states would
score an overwhelming victory IN the
matter Of points in the Olympiad, there
was little deep-rooted confidence in the
ability Of the Americans to carry off
premier hOnOrs in the most coveted race
on the programme. For years field and
track sports Of all sorts had been enjoy
ing a healthful development in this coun-
try but the Improvement In the class Of
long distance runners had been 50 gradual
that il was hardly considered likely that
any American would be able TO success
fully match strides with the stars rep
resenting the nations that had for cen
turtles made an especial effort to foster
long distance running.
In the hope Of at least making a credit
able showing in the Marathon. several
Americans went to the mark. The result
is histOry-DOrandO. falling i'm sight Of the
goal, while Hayes sped to victory. 1t
was not until the eighties that American
track athletes pitted themselves against
the English Myers and Merrill in 1881
being pioneerS~in the movement that had
It's elimination in Hayes achievement
While one Of the oldest events on the
athletic card the Marathon race was al
most forgotten until the revival OF the
ancient games In an international athletic
contest in Athens in 1895. These contests
were held in the restored stadium that
had existed before $50 B. G. toward whose
first erection patriotic citizens had con-
Jributed everything from the gold of one
to the thousand yoke of oxen that an
other gave, and whose seats were COW
cred with marble slabs by Herodes as a
gift to the Panathenaic festival. Time
and war and fOTgetfulness had buried the
stadium, but in 1859 it was partially ex-
cavated, and before these Information
contests ii had been restored to its origi-
nal design. the underground chambers
~
first used 1900 years before
There the first athletic Marathon race
was run in the memory of that historic
DAY @-215 years before, when one Phil
ipDtdes. an Athenian soldier ran from tine
plains of Marathon to the palace i'm
Athens to tell the king Of the victory
of MiluadeS and lis Athenian and Pla
team freeman over the mercenaries Of
Darius. The runner dropped dead at the
feet OF his ruler. SO history and tradition
assert The city accorded him every civil
and military honor. his body lying i'm
state IN the capitol for three days. Among
the most ancient pieces of sculpture is
that Of the dying Marathon runner.
Marathon lies ON the northeast coast of
Atuca- There the worship OF Apollo had
IT'S tlTst home. and the district boasts
there On the battlefield is mound or
soros. where the 1872 Athenisn dead WEE
buried after the battle Ii was from
this historic place that the course of "A
novel race was laid out in 1895. q course
that followed as near as history could
show the path taken by Philippines and
measuring twenty-six miles and 50 yards.
On the day Of the new Marathon the king
OF the Greeks was TO receive the runner
ss did his predecessor. though this time
y"U0 people waited. knowing. for the
coming Of many runners. The fact that
the runner was Spires IyOuccS son of u
peasant Of Attica. brought forth fine
greatest applause Of the whole contest
and enthusiastic ChTOniclers aver that the
great shout rolled off against Mount Pen
telllcuS on the one side and Mount
Hymettus on another, as did the Joyous
acclama tons of the people of twenty-five
centuries before
Marathon races had little hold on pouu-
larity after this until the London event
last year. though il was hoped al the
time Of the Buffalo exposition that tho
stadium erected there might remain peI-
manently. and the Marathon, run ther
under such climatic difficulties would he
come big event In future athletics
Hayes winning acted as an inspiration
20 the athletes of America. and clubmp1
schooiboys- and college students fuua-
diately took to distance running which
even now. is completely overshadovfne
IN public favor. track contests at shorter
distance.
In this country the colleges exercise
such a decided influence over athletics
that the clubmen copy the methods and
systems followed by the students. and
the most successful field and track teams
representing clubs depend largely upon
former college men for their real strength.
johnny Hayes has written many articles
on now TO excel in the sport. pointing out