C.C. Pyle, the race organizer, had arranged for a number of tents for the runners to sleep in during the race. Cots and blankets were marked with each runner’s number so that each night they had the same equipment. The runners’ personal effects were also marked so that at the end of a day’s lap, each man could easily claim his gear when he arrived at the checkpoint. Most often all the equipment and runners’ belongings were dumped on the ground with no regard for order or the runners’ convenience. Segregation was the reality of the day in 1928 and there was concern about housing the runners together. The “tent city” was used less and less by the runners for several reasons. First, the weather and terrain sometimes kept the caravan from reaching the checkpoint before the runners. Second, if the newspaper accounts are true, the blankets had been washed only once, in Texas.

"The housing of the different nationalities was another problem which arose, but that was satisfactorily solved. The English and Canadians were placed in one large tent. The Negroes in another-the Scandinavians in another-the Indians, the Mexicans, the French and the Germans-each had their own community dwelling." -Official Program

One runner complained that some of the men didn't bathe as often as others and it was hard to get a clean blanket and cot at the end of a day.

For the black runners, housing was a different story. Subject to racism and segregation laws all across the United States, there were few places where they could get a room when needed. Black communities along the route rallied to their aid and offered their homes and hot meals to these runners.