Bunion Derby: The 1928 Footrace Across America

How quickly we forget! I have been a lifelong student of American history and a casual runner for more than 20 years, yet, I had never heard of the 1928 "International Trans-Continental Foot Race," an epic, non-stop, 84-day road race covering 3400 miles from Los Angeles to New York City. By today's "ultra-marathon" standards, such a feat of endurance is inconceivable. In his delightful book, "Bunion Derby," Charles Kastner has brought this remarkable race and its incredible participants back to life, helping to fulfill race referee Arthur Duffy's prediction that "...some day the public will come to realize that this cross country foot race is one of the greatest athletic achievements of the age." Organized by sports promoter C.C. Pyle and his partner, football hero "Red" Grange, the race attracted 199 participants who competed for a First Prize of $25,000, a small fortune at the time. Each morning, the runners rolled off their metal cots, ran a race leg of 30-75 miles, scrounged for dinner, fell exhausted onto their cots, and woke up to do the whole thing over. Along the way, they had to overcome freezing temperatures, sprained ankles, bad food, assaults by hit-and-run drivers, and threats of violence against the African-American runners. Could anyone today even imagine running from Los Angeles through the Mojave Desert, crossing the mountains of northern Arizona, and reaching the New Mexico border in twenty days? Throw in freezing rains, a 7400' elevation gain, and howling head winds and the feat becomes super-human. Remarkably, 55 of the original 199 starters finished the race, even though many were simply amateur runners or not even runners at all. At least, not when they started. By the end of the race, each of the finishers had proven himself to be one of the most accomplished athletes in human history. One does not have to be a runner to enjoy Kastner's book. Combining his talents as an author of magazine articles with serious research, he has turned the account of each of the 84 daily legs into a dramatic tale of considerable suspense. In addition, he places the race in the context of 1920s America, emphasizing themes of community boosterism along the new Route 66; the hucksterism and promotional fervor of the fads that swept America; and the wide-open, "can-do" spirit of the decade. Kastner gives special attention to the several African-American competitors and the dark racism they faced as they crossed states in which the Ku Klux Klan reigned. My hat is off to Mr. Kastner for bringing this event to light and providing us with an entertaining and informative book that will delight anyone who picks it up.

What began as a quick browse for me became an adventure. I had expected a book which might appeal to distance runners only (a punishment to which I will never aspire). I found myself rooting for a number of the participants and marveling at their progress. There was little Olli Wanttinen at 4 feet nine inches; how many more steps must he have had to take to match the taller runners' strides. Fifteen-year-old T. Joseph Cotton, eldest of seven siblings, wanted the prize money to help feed his family. Then there was experienced competitor, Charles Hart, who, at age63, was two and three times the ages of most of the racers. But this is more than just a book about running. Mr. Kastner has done a laudable job of portraying a fascinating, little known facet of American history. It is a literate account of one of the greatest publicity stunts from an age of outrageous stunts - of marathon dancing, goldfish swallowing, and flagpole sitting. There is all the pathos of an America rife with pockets of extreme poverty and hardship, class and color discrimination, optimism and perseverance. The book is meticulously researched and generously illustrated with archival photographs. Several appendices tantalize with glimpses of future ultra races (post 1928). I hope another book will soon be forthcoming.

Ostensibly a book about running - it is concerned with the cross country foot race from Los Angeles to New York in 1928 - it is so much more. It is a slice of American history, our pride and our shame. Runners and walkers from all over the globe were competing for a $25,000 prize - a vast sum in those days. Many who entered did so for the money and what it might do for their families. It didn't matter that so many of these men lacked the training, the support people, and the proper attire for such an endeavor. C.C. Pyle, the promoter of the race, and all the attendant side show foolishness that capped most days of competition, promised food and housing along the way. (The eleven-foot tall coffee pot fastened on a truck chassis, a famous curiosity of the day, followed the racers and served the runners and staff 90 gallons of coffee a day). The reality was this: The food Pyle provided was inadequate to such an arduous venture. Lodging was minimal - tents or boxcars barely serving to keep runners out of the worst of the weather. When one of the front runners persisted in publicly complaining about Pyle's lack of sufficient attention to the men, he received a telegram stating that his wife had died. She had, in fact, died several years earlier; the idea was that he would rush home and forget about the race. The Black runners fared as well, or as poorly, as the rest of the pack until they ran smack into the Jim Crow South. There they were harassed and threatened. Their treatment was referred to by the international runners as "the most disgraceful thing they ever knew anything about." Kastner has illuminated what was great and what was wrong with America as it was in 1928. Despite the scorching heat of the Mojave, the sleet, the wind, and the altitude of the mountains, the filthy, sweat-soaked clothing and ill-fitting shoes, and threats and humiliation aimed at the Black athletes, 55 men completed the 3,400-mile trek. These men rose to a challenge and would not be daunted. Why did so many put themselves through such an ordeal? As one racer put it, "Every man who finishes such a race is a winner. He has shown strength of heart and purpose, which should uplift him with pride and uplift his children after him."

The 1920's are famous for grandiose stunts and promotions. One of the most arduous was the great bunion derby of 1928. Brainchild of promoter Charles C. Pyle, this was a foot race from California to New York, spotlighting the newly laid Route 66. This grueling race attracted trained athletes from across the United States and beyond. But most participants were amateurs, ill-suited to the trial before them. They came for the glory, or the thrill, or perhaps the $25,000 prize. Of the 199 starters an ama zing 55 men completed the race. Kastner's account follows African American, Ed Gardner, through the torturous ordeal. This is history that reads like a novel - absorbing and well-paced. Kastner brings into sharp focus the motivation, the perseverance, the will, the grit that made Gardner a hero of his day.

I found this book to be intriguing and inspirational. It is a book that anyone who is interested in the history of distance running should read. It tells the story of the 1928 footrace across the United States and the stories of the brave men who competed in the race. I couldn't put this book down. It was extremely well researched, and the stories of competitors were inspiring. I strongly recommend this book.