C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America | 
 enlarge | Author: Geoff Williams
Publisher: Rodale Books
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 475268
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 328
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 1594863199
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.42092
EAN: 9781594863196
ASIN: 1594863199
Publication Date: July 10, 2007
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Product Description
A riveting account of an incredible 3,423-mile foot race across America, the Great Foot Race of 1928, and C.C. Pyle, the legendary sports promoter who masterminded the event.
A year before the Great Depression, endurance fads were all the rage. From dance marathons to flagpole sitting, everyone was looking for a chance to change their luck, and spectators would shell out hard-earned cash to watch. When notorious sports agent and promoter C.C. Pyle offered a $25,000 prize for a foot race from Los Angeles to New York, 199 runners from all over the world took their marks and half a million spectators flocked to the starting line. The race was grueling, but an astonishing 55 participants made it to the Madison Square Garden finish line 84 days later.
C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race details this historic event and the colorful cast of characters involved.
At the crux of the story are two very different men: the fast-talking, shady, yet forward-thinking promoter C.C. Pyle, always scheming to make a quick buck; and Andy Payne, a 20-year-old part-Cherokee Oklahoman, who entered the competition as a longshot, against many world-class athletes, hoping to save his family’s farm and win the heart of the girl of his dreams.
In re-creating this classic American drama, the author accessed exclusive, never-before-published material and the support of several descendants of the characters, including Andy Payne’s daughter and C.C. Pyle’s great-granddaughter.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 The ORIGINAL "Survivor" tale December 28, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Everything old really IS new again. The "reality series" of today have nothing on the bizarre endurance contests of the 1920s and early 1930s, which frequently provoked massive media coverage. This book describes one of the unjustly forgotten peaks of this esoteric genre: the International Transcontinental Foot Race of 1928, popularly known as the "Bunion Derby." 199 runners started from California with the goal of reaching Yankee Stadium (later, Madison Square Garden) in New York. Only 50 or so ultimately got there. The event, somewhat haphazardly organized by sports promoter C.C. Pyle, best known as Red Grange's manager, attracted plenty of flakes but also featured some seriously committed long-distance runners. Williams' narrative lays the whole story out for you in gory, blistered, benumbed detail. I could have asked for slightly better writing in a technical sense, but the tale is quite fascinating and will keep your attention till the end.
 Great Diet Tips October 4, 2007
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
In addition to being a fantastic story,it should also be recognized as a great diet book. Imagine, you tub-of-lard, how svelte you would be if you ran from L.A. to New York averaging more than the distance of a marathon every day.
Seriously, if you want to understand what it was like to accomplish such a feat, this is THE book.
Amazing story of an amazing race September 3, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Mr. Williams has captured an outlandish event for all it was worth- the notion of a coast-to-coast foot race covering 30-60 miles daily with out a break through all sorts of weather is a terrific read. Predictably, many who started the race were ill-equipped and ill-trained and fell out early. Those who remained in the race paint a heroic picture of those 1920s vintage marathon personalities. Mr. William's book is also quite valuable as it documents the towns along the route the race took in the late 1920s. "C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race" also traces the original alignment of Route 66 between Los Angeles and Chicago as it was envisioned in 1926, and gives the reader a feel for both the condition of the great American highway, and what the runners faced up to each day as they ran eastward towards New York. All in all, a fine book, well researched and well presented.
A Gritty, Whimsical "Must Read" Book September 1, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
In C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race, Geoff Williams breathes new life into an old, but true, coast-to-coast adventure that pitted runners from around the world in a grit-filled journey of survival from Los Angeles to New York. Readers are transported back to an era when the technology of telephones and radios, not to mention athletic gear, were still in their infancy and Vaudeville performers entertained the masses.
Cast against this backdrop, Williams tells us the story of sports promoter C.C. "Cash & Carry" Pyle, the Galloping Ghost Red Grange, and a multitude of runners and supporting characters that carved their own niche in the history of America during the spring of 1928.
Williams captures the heart and soul of the 1920s in his narrative, giving us a flavor of a less complicated time when people could turn over their whims to such feats as marathon dancing, eating contests, and flagpole sitting. Yet, under the current of these fanciful pursuits, the story also reveals to us life's realities: the desire to win the heart of your true love, the want for fame and fortune, or, more simply, the fear of losing one's home.
In March 1928, 199 men - each with their own motivations - set off from Los Angeles on a 3,421-mile race of a lifetime. During the journey, we come to know the men of the Bunion Derby like the simple, but pure-hearted Oklahoman Andy Payne, his talented, British rival Pete Gavuzzi, and the loveable laggard Paul "Hardrock" Simpson.
Williams has crafted a masterful story that is richly detailed, yet fast-paced and filled with tender and dramatic moments. While it is clear that the book was meticulously researched from newspaper accounts of the race, archival materials, old letters, and interviews with family members, Williams never overwhelms the reader with too many details at once. Rather, he weaves facts, stories, and curiosities throughout the narrative.
C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race is an engaging book from start to finish that will satisfy history buffs, runners, and anyone seeking out a great human-interest story. Even reality TV fans might be tempted to put down their remotes to read about a real reality contest far more interesting than shows like The Amazing Race or The Apprentice.
Captivating, funny, colorful - a great read! August 27, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed CC Pyle's Amazing Footrace. Right away, Geoff Williams presents the reader with a fascinating cast of characters, including the race's promoter: the PT Barnum-esque CC Pyle. The runners included men like the small-bodied, cigarette-smoking Pete Gavuzzi, the wholesome love-struck Andy Payne, and the ambitious go-getter, Paul "Hardrock" Simpson.
The race kicks off in Los Angeles, and Geoff Williams takes us along as the runners move eastward, at first mostly sprightly, healthy, and well-fed. As the race moves eastward, we get to know these runners more intimately, and can appreciate the friendships and rivalries that develop. The structure of the book lets the reader enjoy the cumulative effect of time, hardship, and hope on these brave participants of the bunion derby. Because Williams paints his scenes and characters so well, I could not help seeing this book as a movie.
Williams also peppers his prose with a lot of humor, which is a wonderfully unexpected thing in a book that is so well researched. I got lost in his narrative voice and finished this book very quickly. Whether you like to run or hate to run, you will love this book that shows humanity at its wackiest, most exhausted and most stubborn.
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