V 10 N. 59 What will College Seniors Do? and Some Old Photos

A few weeks ago we speculated on what college athletes might be facing in the coming year with the granting of an extra year of eligibility.  What would happen with scholarships promised to incoming freshman if the seniors on scholarship decide to stay for that extra year.   In a recent article in the Eugene Register Guard, it was noted that 12 members of the combined men's and women's teams at U. of Oregon have decided to move on with their lives and not return.  Ten of those are seniors and two are red shirt juniors.  So that problem may be solving itself if other schools have similar responses from their team members.

Here is the link:    https://www.registerguard.com/sports/20200716/dozen-uo-track-and-field-athletes-are-moving-on

Photos of the 1908 Olympic Marathon

On another note, Walt Murphy's blog titled "This Day in Track and Field"  noted the events of the 1908 Olympic Marathon on this date when Dorando Pietri crossed the finish line first with a bit of 'aid' from officials and was subsequently disqualified for that assistance giving the victory to the US runner Johnny Hayes.  Pietri's efforts were however recognized by presentation of a special trophy from  Queen Alexandra.   The article referred to was originally printed in The Guardian, several years ago.

Here is the series of photos that appeared with that article.

Pre-race notice to London citizens to turn out.

American team walking to the start.  Johnny Hayes the eventual winner is #26

Just after the start, going past the royals

The Londoners certainly turned out

Pietri early on takes the lead.
Note he has a handler on a bike with him.

Showing no sign of imminent collapse.
Note the roads seem to be well packed dirt.

Johnny Hayes follows with his handler in tow.  The handler carries a bag with
refreshments much like the domestiques in bicycle races today carry to support
their teammates.  Another official appears to be handing him a sponge.

More crowds

Pietri appears in the stadium but he's in trouble, because the officials are
keeping up with him.  That last bloody 385 yards are the fault of the royals
wanting a start at their castle.  Note the rather portly official on the right. He
stays with Pietri right to the finish and even while he is carted off.

The portly dude appears to be performing chest compressions on Pietri.
Also note the announcers with megaphones.

The last agonizing steps...

....Madre Mia,  it's over in 2hr. 54 min. 46 sec.

The stunned crowd watches the Italian carried off... the big dude is still there.

Later, Queen Alexandra gives Pietri a special award for his gallantry.

Johnny Hayes gets his own royal treatment from his teammates.
In the front is Lewis Tewanima from the Hopi First Nation.
He attended Carlisle Indian School with Jim Thrope.  Lewis
also ran in the 1912 Olympics.  That is quite a trophy with Hayes and a
lot to ask of five guys who just ran a marathon.

Hayes about to earn his gold medal

A proud Pietri with his Queen's Trophy

Dear George:

There is a lot more to this story than just the Olympics race.

Dorando Pietri came to the United States and had two match races against Johnny Hayes, both of which he won.  The first, in 1908, was in Madison Square Gardens and he won by 75 yards.  The second was in 1909,  presumable, outdoors.

However, there is an unsung distance running hero shown here as well, Lewis Tewanima.  Lewis was a Hopi Indian, a Native American, a teammate of Jim Thorpe's at Carlisle Indian Industrial School and both coached by Glenn "Pop" Warner.  Lewis took ninth in the 1908 marathon but also ran in the 1912 Olympics, taking the silver medal in the 10, 000.  The next American to medal at the Olympics in the 10, 000 was another Native American,  Billy Mills, taking the gold in 1964.   

My favorite story about Lewis is the time Carlisle Indian School had a track meet against an Eastern school, possibly Ivy League, and "Pop" Warner showed up with just two athletes, Thorpe and Tewanima.  Thorpe won most of the sprints and field events and Lewis won all the distance events.  Carlisle won the meet.

Take care,

Tom Coyne

Great article on an interesting race George! What I don't understand is why Pietri would be disqualified for something the race officials themselves were guilty of. He clearly couldn't shoo them away as he was delirious and seems to just be trying to get to the finish line. I remember seeing video of him zigzagging all over the place - certainly not in a stable mind to understand what the officials were doing. I googled modern Olympics marathon (great photo of 3 runners training for the 1896 race in what appears to be street clothes!) - and the marathon was run 4 times prior to the 1908 race. TIL (today I learned) the Olympics was held every 2 years :).

Anyway - 4 times prior the officials should have been aware of what was allowed and what wasn't, right? Anyone else feel Pietri was cheated out of a medal? Lastly, thanks to Tom Coyne for pointing out Tewanima. I have heard of Carlisle's amazing T&F records during Jim Thorpe's days. Another athlete that was cheated out of his gold wins as sole winner of the 1908 Olympics.

Cheers/ Susan

Susan,

Responding I would say it was  ill trained  and uninformed officials who were at fault and the ultimate powers that were in place eventually saw this and decided it was unfair and should not have been allowed. Clearly there were people all over the infield getting involved.  They could not all have known what they were doing.   Who in the world had any experience in things like this in 1908?  In the picture where Pietri is flat on his back and being supported  by one person, it makes me wonder if he would have been able to get up on his own and finish.  But we don't see if he was lifted up on his feet and pointed in the right direction.    Maybe he was D.Q.'d on a protest by the Americans.  I don't know the answer to that.   Today he probably would not be allowed to finish in the interest of his own welfare and be taken away by medical personnel.  In these times there is a point where the lawyers get involved and organizers do not want to be held liable for allowing someone to be injured, even though we sign a liability waiver before any race today.  

Another story in that 1908 Olympics is a lot closer to my home (Dayton, OH).   Ed Cook tied for the gold medal in the pole vault 

with another American.  However he was simultaneously competing in the 'broad jump' and the British officials

who were allegedly openly, how should I say, hostile? to the Americans, did not give Cook any leeway for 

competing in the two events at the same time.  I believe he was denied some of his attempts in the long

jump where he was a favorite, and he ended up 4th.    Cook was originally from Chillocothe, Ohio, but he had a long teaching career at Oakwood HS (a Dayton suburb).  Our recently departed friend Richard Trace had him for physical education when he went through Oakwood schools in the 1940s. 

Of interest as well was the man who tied for the polevault gold,  Alfred Carlton Gilbert, who became known as "The Man Who Saved Christmas".   Gilbert started the toy manufacturing business that carried his name and even led a lot of kids into science with his chemistry sets that were hugely popular in the 20th century.
A.C. Gilbert  Wikipedia link
George

Walt Murphy sent me the link to this film clip on the 1908 marathon implying that Hayes did file a protest.  It is not entirely clear if it was the protest that got Pietri D.Q'd.  Walt thinks it was a clear breach of the rules, according to the I.A.A.F.  Olympic Book and the NY Times,  and the officials may well have made the decision without a protest from Hayes.

Here is the link: Controversial 1908 Olympic Marathon


That said,  today I went out for a longer run than usual (I won't say how long) and because of the heat and thinking of this story, I curtailed the distance half way into the run.  Perhaps it saved me the embarrassment of collapse on a forest trail.    George