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Bunion Derby: The 1928 Footrace Across America | 
 enlarge | Author: Charles B. Kastner
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $15.85
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 389202
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0826343015
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.4250973
EAN: 9780826343017
ASIN: 0826343015
Publication Date: October 15, 2007
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Product Description
On March 4, 1928, 199 men lined up in Los Angeles, California, to participate in a 3,400-mile transcontinental footrace to New York City. The Bunion Derby, as the press dubbed the event, was the brainchild of sports promoter Charles C. Pyle. He promised a $25,000 grand prize and claimed the competition would immortalize U.S. Highway Route 66, a 2,400-mile road, mostly unpaved, that subjected the runners to mountains, deserts, mud, and sandstorms, from Los Angeles to Chicago. The runners represented all walks of American life from immigrants to millionaires, with a peppering of star international athletes included by Pyle for publicity purposes. For eighty-four days, the men participated in this part footrace and part Hollywood production that incorporated a road show featuring football legend Red Grange, food concessions, vaudeville acts, sideshows, a portable radio station, and the world's largest coffeepot sponsored by Maxwell House serving ninety gallons of coffee a day. Drawn by hopes for a better future and dreams of fame, fortune, and glory, the bunioneers embarked on an exhaustive and grueling journey that would challenge their physical and psychological endurance to the fullest while Pyle struggled to keep his cross-country road show afloat. "In a wild grab for glory, a cast of nobodies saw hope in the dust: blacks who escaped the poverty and terror of the Old South; first-generation immigrants with their mother tongue thick on their lips; Midwest farm boys with leather-brown tans. These men were the 'shadow runners,' men without fame, wealth, or sponsors, who came to Los Angeles to face the world's greatest runners and race walkers. This was a formidable field of past Olympic champions and professional racers that should have discouraged sane men from thinking they could win a transcontinental race to New York. Yet they came, flouting the odds. Charley Pyle's offer of free food and lodging to anyone who would take up the challenge opened the race to men of limited means. For some, it was a cry from the psyche of no-longer-young men, seeking a last grasp at greatness or a summons to do the impossible. This pulled men on the wrong side of thirty from blue-collar jobs and families."--from the Preface "No writer 'owns' a swath of history the way Chuck Kastner 'owns' the wildly crazy C. C. Pyle Bunion Derbies. The inaugural race was a truly American epic: from its massive scope to the fact that it was dominated by a handful of second-rate runners who decided there was no future in continuing in the underdog role. Chuck's book makes you want to schedule your next vacation for Route 66, there to relive the zaniness and heroics of 1928."--Rich Benyo, editor, Marathon & Beyond Magazine "What made Bunion Derby an outstanding read for me is twofold: it is about a piece of American history that is today almost unknown. One web site has a fascinating history of it, and there have been a few articles here and there, but for the most part it has disappeared from written history. Why? There is so much that it represents--the character and strength that was an American virtue; the opportunistic hucksterism that defined this country; individuals conquering extraordinary physical and emotional difficulties, petty jealousies, cheating, political and financial agendas, and creating for themselves a personal challenge that each--whether he dropped out or completed the race--in his own way won. This is one of those books that should be discovered by every reader who appreciates solid research, writing worth reading and a fantastic story. How many ways can I say that it is one every reader of BiblioBuffet should pick up as soon as possible. Bunion Derby has my highest recommendation."--BibioBuffet "Bunion Derby's narrative arc transcends the academic approach one would expect from a university press."--Philip Damon, on the Peace Corps Writers website "We think [Bunion Derby] would make a great holiday gift for any of your running or history-minded friends, but get one for yourself, too. It's a great read."--Northwest Runner
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| Customer Reviews:
A record of determination and perserverence December 14, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Ostensibly a book about running - it is concerned with the cross country foot race from Los Angeles to New York in 1928 - it is so much more. It is a slice of American history, our pride and our shame. Runners and walkers from all over the globe were competing for a $25,000 prize - a vast sum in those days. Many who entered did so for the money and what it might do for their families. It didn't matter that so many of these men lacked the training, the support people, and the proper attire for such an endeavor. C.C. Pyle, the promoter of the race, and all the attendant side show foolishness that capped most days of competition, promised food and housing along the way. (The eleven-foot tall coffee pot fastened on a truck chassis, a famous curiosity of the day, followed the racers and served the runners and staff 90 gallons of coffee a day).
The reality was this: The food Pyle provided was inadequate to such an arduous venture. Lodging was minimal - tents or boxcars barely serving to keep runners out of the worst of the weather. When one of the front runners persisted in publicly complaining about Pyle's lack of sufficient attention to the men, he received a telegram stating that his wife had died. She had, in fact, died several years earlier; the idea was that he would rush home and forget about the race.
The Black runners fared as well, or as poorly, as the rest of the pack until they ran smack into the Jim Crow South. There they were harassed and threatened. Their treatment was referred to by the international runners as "the most disgraceful thing they ever knew anything about."
Kastner has illuminated what was great and what was wrong with America as it was in 1928. Despite the scorching heat of the Mojave, the sleet, the wind, and the altitude of the mountains, the filthy, sweat-soaked clothing and ill-fitting shoes, and threats and humiliation aimed at the Black athletes, 55 men completed the 3,400-mile trek. These men rose to a challenge and would not be daunted. Why did so many put themselves through such an ordeal? As one racer put it, "Every man who finishes such a race is a winner. He has shown strength of heart and purpose, which should uplift him with pride and uplift his children after him."
Buinions are only a small part of the story November 4, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a beautifully written and well-researched story, and to that extent it is a good book. Chuck and Mary Kastner are friends, and frequent visitors to our Bed & Breakfast, so I won't say any more about the book than "Buy it" you won't be disappointed!
The story on the other hand belongs not only to the book, but to American History. The racers formed a cross-section of American society, with some fascinating foreigners thrown in for good measure. The trials and tribulations of all the runners amazed me and their sheer persistence could not help but become fodder for the story. But more than that the story is of ordinary people whose characters and personalities were forever changed by their phenomenal efforts. When the leaders of the race cross into New York State, there is a gesture by the leading racer which brought tears to my eyes. I leave it to you to buy the book and read the story, and admire these Bunioneers.
Fleet of foot and words November 1, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
The 1920's are famous for grandiose stunts and promotions. One of the most arduous was the great bunion derby of 1928. Brainchild of promoter Charles C. Pyle, this was a foot race from California to New York, spotlighting the newly laid Route 66. This grueling race attracted trained athletes from across the United States and beyond. But most participants were amateurs, ill-suited to the trial before them. They came for the glory, or the thrill, or perhaps the $25,000 prize. Of the 199 starters an ama zing 55 men completed the race.
Kastner's account follows African American, Ed Gardner, through the torturous ordeal. This is history that reads like a novel - absorbing and well-paced. Kastner brings into sharp focus the motivation, the perseverance, the will, the grit that made Gardner a hero of his day.
An Amazing Book! September 8, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I found this book to be intriguing and inspirational. It is a book that anyone who is interested in the history of distance running should read. It tells the story of the 1928 footrace across the United States and the stories of the brave men who competed in the race. I couldn't put this book down. It was extremely well researched, and the stories of competitors were inspiring. I strongly recommend this book.
A Must Read! September 8, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Whether you're interested in running, history, or African American studies, you'll find this book fascinating. Well written and surprisingly well researched and referenced, Bunion Derby presents the story of the first footrace across the United States. Among the different elements of the footrace Kastner brings to life, the most intriguing is the story of Ed Gardner, an African American competitor from Seattle.
As ultra distance running becomes increasing popular in contemporary times, Bunion Derby reminds us that such feats of endurance and will have been part of the American fiber since well before the term 'ultramarathon' was heard of.
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