THE MARATHON RACE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 300, 12 September 1908, Page 10

THE MARATHON RACE.

———t THRILLING SCENES. ITALIAN'S WONDERFUL EFFORT. AMERICAN .VICTORY. With a strange, almost pathetic. tosomblanco to tho scene enacted when tho hero Pheidippides-carried tho news of the Grecian victory, tho Marathon race of July 24 from Windsor to tho Stadium ended in misfortune to tho fleetest footed. After a race memorable for its thrilling incidents, Dorando, tho young Italian runner, reached the Stadium well ahead of all the other competitors. On entering the great arena, which was crowdctl with an immense throng of more than 100,000 people, Dorando suddenlyffel t exhausted, rose, and fell again. Then again he-raised himself, staggered on and dropped once moro within a fow yards of tho winning post.- Four timos ho fell, but, with a supTomo effort, and with friendly assistanco he reached thp winning post first, amid a scene of extraordinary excitement. Close on his heels, Hayes, an American representative, followed, and the South African runner, Heffron,' who held a long lead at Harrow, was the third to pass the winning post. Thus ended tho most memorable of the modern Marathon racos. Of tho fifty-four athletos, representing fifteen nationalities, who started, only twentyfive reached the winning post. The victory of tho plucky Italian, unfortunately, was short-lived. As the result of a protest on the ground that he had been assisted at the Stadium to support himself, the victory was awarded to Hayes, the American—a native of Ireland —who is tho first runner of English-speaking origin to win the great race'. Tho Princess of W a ' o3 witnessed the start of the race from the East Terrace at Windsor Castle, and along the ■ whole length of the twenty-six miles of tho course denso crowds of peoplo lined the roadway. Boat race crowds, indeed, wore insignificant numerically compared with tho miles of people who turned out undor a brilliant sun and under sweltering conditions to view tho Marathon trophy competition. At the Stadium, the Queen, the Crown Princo of Greece, tho Crown Princo and Princess of Sweden, and many other members of tho Royal Family woro present to witness tho close of tho contest. Lord Desborough announced at a dinner to the Olympic athletes that the Queen had decided, to give a consolation prizo to Dorando. THE FINISH. In describing the finish tho London "Standard" stntes:— Atla6t thore was a waving of hats and a cheering at the entranco, and the intolerable "strain, of the excitement was to be .over in an instant. It I .could not-be a close finish. Dorando appeared. The whole Stadium rose at him, waving hats, shouting, yelling, and giving vent at once to tho excitement that had fed on tho 1 news given to allay it for the last three hours. . From tho grandstand ho appeared as a tiny speck. His steps were slow, and tottering. Ho reeled liko a fainting man. His legs dithered. His strength, which had carried him 26 miles and to within a few hundred yards of his goal, bad gone. "Bravo!" a thousand peoplo yelled, "Italy.",. "Well dono, Italy." - . But tho plight of the man, beaten completely, exhausted almost boyond description, stayed, further exultation.. Tho sight ono saw was sickening. Peoplo strainod to follow his heroic battle with nature. . As one peered through one's glasses one saw t-hat' the runner's pyes wero glazed ; ho was as a delirious man; .-striving for. something impossible of at.tainmont, -And then amid a .dismal "Oh," 'that almost.'turned ono away from this physical wonder, Dorando fell like a log on tho cutting, scratching cindors. . Tho pagos of tho ptory of the Aiarathon raco woro opened again. Dorando had fought with might and main to win tho race of his lifo, - and there ho,lay, a human mass. Men with good in-, tent, but unhappily against all • the rules govjerning r the i; contp,st, :rar. to his.sido and pulled him on to his feet. . Dorandocould not stand straight; his pinched knees knocked to-, gethor. His legs would not carry oven his lean body. Fingors wero pointed to the winning : post only a few yards away. Men went through a dumb to encourage and stimulate this gallant son. of Italy. Dorando turned to shako his head, and then with a superhuman effort ho started to walk, a drunlien, staggering walk, moving blindly to roach' tho judges. Only a few yards did ho go and down ho foil again on tlio biting track. Ho was 'rubbed and squeezed until ho seomed to regain lifo. But a third and fourth time did ho fall all of a heap. Some ono, shouted that tho ,second man was, coming along, and then Dorando was lifted on his .foot again. Ho tried ,'to while! He was. too tired, too 'footsore, "too pxhaiisted to walk, and liko a semi-conscious nian, but with an instinct deeprooted ho sot out to try a gentlo trot. His legs tossed him hither and thither. He 'threatened to collapse completely any second; and whon nature demanded that ho could movo no further two or three oxcitod men got hold of him by the bach and literally.pushed him to victory. Doi'ando was kissed and hugged by his frenzied compatriots as ho lay .there undone. He lay like a dead man. The handkerchief which ho had in his strong moments improvised into a sun bonnet was saturated with water his boyish attendants had poured npon him to give him vitality. His wan faco was cakod with, groy dust, and there he lay, tho darling of his countrymen, tho hero of thousands of wildly excited folk. Ho was placed on'an ambulance and carried to the side of tho track. And somo few brief moments before. J. J. Hayes,, tho .American, with tlio false strength of a man. ready to drop, appeared.. It , was when Hayes came in sight that foolish, though good-hearted, men lifted and pushed Dorando to tlio first position, and, as subsequent ovents proved, lost him tho race ho had run with such noblo gallantry. "Hayes IV Amcrica!" "Rah, 'Rah, Rah, Hayes!" All America seemed to shout. . The Stars and Stripes woro waved frantically. And Hayes, tho while Dorando lay almost unconscious, came tripping round tho track, carried to the finish on a wave' of enthusiasm as if he could still draw liberally upou his wonderful stamina. "Hayes!" And Hayes responded liko a giant. • But when he had come to the end of tho punishing trial he, too,' was carried away with his energy spent. HEFFRON'S EFFORT. To whom would this race of a lifetime bo given P Tho excitement of it all was nerveshattering. It gave one hot and cold shivers. But the question, though supremo in the mind of everybody who had carefully .noted that the Italian could not be acclaimed victor by tho judges, was brushed to one sido with tho appearance, of Heffron; tho South African. He, too, in comparison with Dorando, ■ was tolornbly fresh, but ho was not tho runner, moving sweetly, one had soon somo three miles from homo. He had had moro than enough. But there were cheers for Heffron. Ho had dono nobly and well. Forshaw, of America, came next, and then Wolton, also of America, was fifth, and he finished sprinting. Wood, of Canada, was next, and then camo tho Red Indian, Simpson. He looked the perfect savage, with his white linen sun liafc and tho steady trot of tho red man. H. Lawson followed directly afterwards, and then iSv.niberg, of Sweden, who, it will probably he remembered, was second to tho Canadian, in tho Marathon Raco at Athens,. came cantering along the track as strongly as if he could stay for another hour. Svanberg put up a tremendous finish indeed. Ho did not appear as if he had turned a hair,, and his fellows wont" wild ■ with delight, tho whilo a thousand cameras snapshotted him.' Then, following the bravo Swcdo, was Tcwanina, a North American Indian. . And at intervals the ,rest of the 27, runners of the 55 who started from Windsor appeared. ■' Each man was given the warmest ovation. And then camo tho tragedy of it all. The expected protest from Amcricn against Dorando was made, and it was allowed. So tlio raco went t.o Hayes. Heffron, therefore, was second, and Forshaw third. The pity of it all. Every one of tho thousands of onlookers woro deeply sorry for Dorando. It was not his fault that ho had lost. Peoplo had been cruel to him in their intended kindness. Tlio - trouble was that peoplo were allowed to help Dorando along. But' wo who followed tho littlo Italian from Windsor lo tho Stadium will always think of him as , a mighty, man.