Mr. Hayes Goes To Toronto

I saw him before I heard the call, "Mr. Hayes." I replied, "Mr. Hayes." So began our walk together. Kurt Steege had just walked back from the finish line of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I was dragging myself in to a 6:11 finish; while Kurt, just cruising, had finished in 3:52, after having taken a big detour to call attention of officials to a woman down on the course.

Kurt had run this as an overdistance run in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon a month later. Kurt was dressed as Johnny Hayes, the 1908 Olympic Marathon winner, as was I. We'd been invited up to Toronto to bring up Johnny Hayes' gold medal along with his 3rd place trophy from the 1907 Boston Marathon.

While Hayes finished better at Boston (2nd) the next year, the 1907 trophy has a special tie to Toronto. Tom Longboat, Canada's finest runner of the era hailed from hearby. Longboat was an Onandaga Indian from the Six Nations Reserve about an hour west of Toronto. Plans had called for his daughter, Phyllis Winney, to have attended along with his Boston Trophy, which is held at the Woodlands Cultural Center. Unfortunately, at the last minute, this part of the plan fell apart.

The third major player in Toronto's presentation of the story of how the marathon came to be 26.2 miles was Dorando Pietri. Dorando's struggles to finish the marathon at the 1908 Olympics had prompted Queen Alexandra to give him a special cup. That cup had been brought to Toronto by Carlo Gabbi and his wife, Luisa Ricco, bringing those relics together for public display for just the second time since they were given a century ago. (The first was earlier this year at the Flora London Marathon.)

That's Carlo Gabbi of Italy as Dorando with Dorando's cup, me as Johnny Hayes with Hayes' gold medal, and Michal (rhymes with nickel) Kapral aka "The Joggler" as Tom Longboat at the prerace press conference.

After the marathon, Kurt and I flew home together. We both had some fun teasing each other about how badly we were both walking. I'm pretty sure I was worse. Kurt is slated to be running Marine Corps next weekend. If you see him, please wish him well.

By the way, my 6:11 was planned as a 5:45 to 6:00. I'd guessed at that kind of time based on Elliott Denman's past performances at the NY City Marathon. Elliott has rarely crossed to the slow side of 6 hours in his recent New York performances. I figured I could post a number that would match the man with a quarter century on me, I wasn't to be. I have even more respect for him after seeing how tough walking a 6-hour marathon can be.

100 Years of the Marathon Distance

I had the pleasure of being invited to bring Johnny Hayes' gold medal, which the Shore A.C. holds, to Carpi, Italy as part of the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Marathon Distance.
I arrived on early in the afternoon of Wednesday, July 22, in Carpi, a small city in the Emilia Romana region of Italy, and close to Modena. Those of you who are food fans likely recognize the names - Modena is famous for balsamic vinegar, and the local cheese is the legendary Parmagiano Reggiano, while the local wine is a light, sparkling, red Lambrusco. Needless to say, the food was excellent, as I've found it to be throughout Italy.
Shortly after arriving, I headed over to an Olympic athlete's event, and suddenly photographers were taking photos of me. It was only when they looked disappointed when I told them who I was that I found out they thought I was the representative from the London Marathon. I sat there and tried to look interested, but lacking a translator (she was with the London rep) and not speaking Italian, I was pretty much lost until they started the films of races. Good running is easy to watch in any language.
I'd passed under this banner as I walked into town. It identifies Thursday, July 24, 2008 as World Centennial Day. Of course, their marking of this anniversary bears an Italian flavor, so Dorando Pietri is featured.
That evening, there was a concert in the big square in town. It was a lot of fun, and I went back to the hotel exhausted, having slept only intermittently during my overnight flight.
The next morning, I had breakfast and headed over to the Duomo on Piazza Martiri, where they were celebrating a high mass in honor of Dorando. If you look at the left side of the photo, in the shadows, you can see the umbrellas of Bar Roma, a cafe, which was the sight of the bakery where Dorando worked before rising to fame as a runner.
Next on the agenda was the opening of an exhibit in Pio Castle dedicated to Dorando. This band played an introduction, then Nicola Okey of the London Marathon and I both said a few words before assisting with ribbon cutting.
We were then loaded onto buses and driven to a local park where one of the roads was named Via Maratona Olimpica Londra 1908 (Olympic Marathon of London 1908 Way). Nicola, as the London Marathon representative was also presented with a medal.
Next on the agenda was the dedication of the statue of Dorando, entitled "la vittoria e di Dorando" (The Victory of Dorando), and while Dorando did not win the Olympic gold, he certainly won many hearts with his struggle. The base of the statue is decorated with mosaics, on one side is Dorando's finish at London; on the other, modern racers. Pietri is wearing his trademark red shorts, perhaps he was a Rutgers fan.
Gelindo Bordin, the 1988 gold medalist in the marathon, holds Johnny Hayes' gold medal as 1960 200 meter gold medalist Livio Berruti and the Bishop of Carpi hold Dorando's Cup at the dedication of the statue to Dorando Pietri. RAI broadcast this event throughout Italy.
Following the Olympic Marathon, both Hayes and Dorando turned pro, and their first rematch was this race run through a haze of cigarette smoke at Madison Square Garden, which Dorando won. A string of other races followed, all at the 26 mile, 385 yard distance, making that distance the perceived "right" distance of a marathon.

The Greatest Race Ever

As some people tell it, the greatest marathon ever was run on July 23, 1908. In that race, an unheralded American ran from Windsor Castle to the Olympic Stadium at Shepherd's Bush, London faster than all but one other runner. The runner who arrived at the stadium first, collapsed on the track several times, and was eventually assisted across the finish line by race officials. This Italian, named Dorando Pietri, was helped in order to prevent the American Olympic team from gathering another gold medal. The effort ensured Pietri's fate. Had he managed to get to his feet under his own power (most authorities doubt this would have been possible), he might have gotten there ahead of the American. Instead, two hours after being declared the winner, officials disqualified Pietri for receiving aid, and the American, Johnny Hayes was declared the winner.
Hayes' daughter, Doris Hayes Hale was a long-time friend of the Shore Athletic Club. Mrs. Hale gave her collection of her father's memorabilia to the Shore A.C. in her will. One of the real treasures from the collection, her father's Olympic gold medal is currently on display in New York. The National Jewelry Insitute has put together a exhibition of Olympic gold medals and other athlete memorabilia, which is on display at the Forbes Gallery through late December. Hayes' medal is the oldest in the exhibit.
We believe this is the first time the medal has been displayed to the general public. Hayes' medal has been shown occasionally to school children through the years. Next month represents the centennial of Hayes first victory in a major marathon, the Mercury A.C. Marathon. It was a race designated as 25 miles, and became the Yonkers Marathon. The Yonkers Marathon served for many years as the marathon national championship race, it also served as an Olympic selection race several times. Hayes' Olympic Marathon victory was the first race run at the now standard distance of 26 miles, 385 yards (42.195 km), and in an odd coincidence, Hayes wore number 26 in the race.
We hope that many club members and others will take advantage of the opportunity to visit this remarkable exhibit.

International Visitor

On Monday, English Author John Bryant visited New Jersey to take a look at the Shore Athletic Club's Johnny Hayes Collection. Mr. Bryant is researching a forthcoming book and is seen in this photograph commenting on Hayes' autograph book as club president Walter MacGowan looks on. The book contains autographs of many athletic greats of a century ago. Next year marks the centennial of Hayes' victory in the 1908 Olympic Marathon, comsidered a landmark race by many authorities on the sport.