title
The Great American
Foot Race Historic Rt 66

Runner's Biographies
Progress of the Race
Training Camp
Time Keeping
Runner Housing
Map
CC Pyle The America Traveling Coach
The Carnival
The Era
Documentary
Classroom Content
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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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