Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-23
MARATHON RACE
IS CAPTURED BY
RANK OUTSIDER
F. M. LOW EASILY WINS BIG
DISTANCE EVENT
CHARLES BoscHA OF L. A. A. c. is
PLACED SECOND
Marathonitis Contracted by About
5000 Persons, Who Witness Pretty
Effort on Part of the
Winner

A well-oiled piece Of human mechan-
Ism; springs of legs that respond to
the slightest variation desired by the
engineer, and lungs that work with the
clocklike regularity of engine manipu-
lated bellows-that's F. NJ. Low, WIN
ner of last nights Marathon race al
Shrine auditorium.
1t was q romp all the way for Low,
who is not a Marathonite by profession.
For several years of the 10 he has been
on earth Low has followed the fortunes
of a plasterer, and he was practically
unknown to the athletes participating
in Los Angeles first attempt at the
rejuvenated Greek pastime. But the
Los Angeles Athletic club officials, un-
der whose auspices the event was
given, knew that the boys amateur
standing was without flaw, and Low
was put down as one of the impossi-
bilitieS so far as winning was con-
cerned.
Technically, the result of the race
was as follows:
Name. Representing. Time.
f. NJ. Low, unattached. ........ .S:S1:52
Charles BOscha, L. A. A. Co.. .3:SS:27
e. r. RaynOr, unattached. .3:42:SS
Louis Cont, Poly high. ........ .S:4S 100 1-5
Frank ROseDauer, Turner's. .S:5S:2 2-5
Ne ".
Seven prizes were given to the win
ners-two to the first man in and the
other five to those following him.
TWenty-SiX athletes faced Mayor Har-
per when he fired the starting gun, and
at the finish but half the number re-
mained on the track.
Marathonitis is a new disease in Los
Angeles, and for that reason at least
5000 excitement seekers took the long
do IN
tract it. Ed Dietrich and Charlie
Boscha were made favorites for the
event by the club members, while the
more experienced H. C. Bowden was
the choice Of the outsiders. Great
things had been said of Frank Nishl-
Jimi, the Toxic representative, and all
the rest were more or less fancied-eX-
cept Low.
And here was where the wise ones
made their mistake They number these
Marathon performers a la those retired
from public life through police eff
cheney, and Low drew % for his. After
the second mile had been run the cry
Of Come on you 23!'' resounded
through the house.
Twenty-three did. At the fourth mile
he was running neck and neck with 13
Ed Deitrick, the Athletic clubs hope,
but like a thoroughbred race horse
Lok accepted the challenge and threw
Deitrick off and back after going few
laps.
1t was the same all through the race.
Time after time someone would hook
on Lows pace or else try to make the
running for him, but just as often as 1t
was tried the little plasterer put bit
more power into those springy legs of
his and romped away toward the covet-
ed goal.
The greatest match of the evening
was between Low and ]. w. Keogh,
No. "a. The latter was one lap behind
when he Joined Low at the beginning OF
the seventh mile, and like team they
raced until after the seventeenth mile,
one hundred and forty long, weary
times around the track. Time after
time Keogh started a sprint which car
ried him and his companion past the
other runners as though the latter were
standing still, but there never was a
chance to lose Low.
Finally Keogh gave up in despair. He
saw no chance to get away from the
smoothly moving plasterer and dropped
back, beaten. At the twentieth mile
Charlie Boscha, the remaining member
of the L. A. A. c., took up the burden
and started a sprint which outdid any
thing of the kind attempted before in
the race. Low let him go his own gait,
and by and by Boscha came back to
the real issue before him-that Of
sticking it out to the end. Low plugged
steadily on, and without being menaced
at all finished the last lap as steadily
as he had the first. At the end he
walked to the dressing room without a
sign of fatigue and received his mede
as hero with becoming modesty.
Boscha's sprints after Low stood him
in good stead for second place, as he
had a commanding lead over the rest
of the field when the leader was all
cfn du 0ho
going until he finally terminated his
third lap on the twenty-sixth mile,
which marked the termination of the
race and he, too, walked to his dress
ing room without assistance.
E. r. Raynor put UP the real finish
of the bunch. With both Low and
Boscha out of the way Louis Cont of
Polytechnic high appeared to have
third prize at his mercy, for he had
been plodding along without a mo-
ment'S cessation since the starting gun
was fired. But Raynor was out for
what he could get and a steady sprint
during the last two miles forced him
over winner by less than a minute
ahead Of Cont.
Rosenauer and Wenden were also
forced to fight for what they got, but
both were equal to the occasion and
gamely struggled along to the end
Nishijima, the Jap wonder kept at it
pired, and with him were several un-
fortunates whose early speed was not
sufficient to get them within striking
distance Of the prizes, but whose hearts
were stout enough to send them along
until the end.
Low was certainly deserving of all
he got in the line of plaudits and
prizes. He was coolness personified
and never at any stage of the race did
he show the slightest signs of weari-
ness. His never-failing nonchalance
and superb command Of pace made it
self felt all the way through and he
earned what he got
Toward the end of the contest the
bunch near the finish were trying to
encourage one of the contestants to
greater speed. 81 guess he can't hear
you" said one to another. HE prob
ably don't know very much by now,"
NO. replied the other ''you can't ex-
pect a man to know much after run
ming twenty-six miles, Then the wit
of the group came to the front with:
Nobody that knows anything before
he starts will run twenty-s six miles,"
So there you have the answer to
Marathonitis, and it goes as you read
it-for all but little F. M. Low, Mara
thon hero, who trained twice a week
with short runs and worked all day as
a plasterer.