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May
23, Deposit NY to Liberty NY
The runners complete the longest distance in the race, 74.6 miles from
Waverley, NY.
May 26, Suffern NY to Passaic NJ
The newly constructed cellblock at the Passaic Police Headquarters was
offered for the runners’ comfort.
May 27, Passaic NJ to New York NY
The last 55 runners ran down to the Hudson River late in the afternoon.
They cross the river on the Weehawken Ferry and run the short distance
to Madison Square Garden. Inside the building they ran several laps around
the track before they reached the finish line.
Andy Payne was the winner but was forced, with the rest of the runners,
to wait for his money.
Pyle scheduled a week of exhibition races, after which he promised the
runners would be paid.
"They will get paid immediately after the 26 hour foot race which
will begin on Friday at 9 o’clock, and end on Saturday at 11 o’clock.
My contract does not stipulate that I pay them at any particular time,
and I am perfectly within my rights in paying them then. As to worry whether
I can pay the $48,500 in prizes or not that is absurd." C. C. Pyle
The runners are reduced to sleeping in the animal quarters in the basement
of Madison Square Garden until they are ejected. Many runners have nowhere
to go but the street.
Amid much skepticism, the final exhibition race is run and Pyle astonishes
everybody by paying up. Pyle was bailed out by Tex Rickard, the legendary
boxing promoter, and F. F. Gunn, whose son Harry finished the race (see
section on Gunn).
Andy Payne finally received his $25,000 and went home.
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