Bunion Derby
The Bunion Derby, officially known as the first International Transcontinental Foot Race, was an endurance event that took place in 1928, organized by C. C. Pyle, a professional football team owner. The race began on March 4, 1928, in Los Angeles, with 199 male competitors covering a grueling 3,422 miles to reach New York’s Madison Square Garden by May 26, after 84 days of running. Participants faced not only the physical challenge of long distances, including segments as demanding as 74.6 miles, but also difficult road and weather conditions, along with the presence of automobile traffic. Despite these hardships, fifty-five runners completed the race, with Oklahoma's Andy Payne emerging as the winner, finishing in just over 573 hours. The event was marked by financial difficulties for Pyle, who neglected the welfare of the competitors, leading to low-quality provisions and poor living conditions. Although the race received mixed media coverage, with some criticism and some praise from figures like Will Rogers, it ultimately ended in disappointment for many, as Pyle faced bankruptcy after a subsequent race in 1929 and failed to pay out prize money to top finishers. The Bunion Derby remains a significant chapter in the history of endurance racing, not seeing another organized transcontinental footrace until 1992.
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Subject Terms
Bunion Derby
Identification: The Event: A footrace in stages from Los Angeles to New York
Date: March 4, 1928 to May 26, 1928
Place: From Los Angeles, California, to New York, New York
The Bunion Derby was an endurance contest famous for its promoter’s showmanship and the competitors’ stamina and determination.
The “Bunion Derby” was the name reporters gave to the first International Transcontinental Foot Race, planned and promoted by professional football team owner C. C. Pyle. Pyle’s star player Red Grange assisted him in the management of the race. The ten finishers with the fastest total times for the whole race would receive prize money, with the winner getting twenty-five thousand dollars. Joined by Pyle, Grange, the race crew, reporters, and a portable radio station, 199 male competitors started running from Ascot Speedway in Los Angeles on the afternoon of March 4, 1928, covering the shortest race stage first, which was a distance of about seventeen miles. Eventually, in New York State, there would be a stage of 74.6 miles. The road and weather conditions made the grueling athletic event even harder on the athletes, who also had to cope with automobile traffic.
Pyle’s determination to profit financially from the race led him to neglect the welfare of the competitors, who received low-quality food and bedding, as well as detrimental changes in their schedule. Despite numerous hardships, however, fifty-five runners finished the 3,422-mile race in New York’s Madison Square Garden on May 26, after eighty-four days of running. The winner was Oklahoma resident Andy Payne, who finished the race in just over 573 hours. Johnny Salo of New Jersey finished second, more than fifteen hours behind Payne. After a week’s delay, the top ten finishers collected their prize money from Pyle, for whom the race had become financially draining. The remaining forty-five contestants gained only the satisfaction of having finished such a long and challenging race.
Impact
The Bunion Derby often received scornful coverage in newspapers, although columnist Will Rogers praised the accomplishments of the competitors. Disappointed financially by the 1928 race, Pyle nevertheless promoted another transcontinental race between New York and Los Angeles in 1929, which featured an even longer route scheduled over fewer days. Payne did not compete, and although Salo won, neither he nor any other runner received prize money from Pyle, who declared bankruptcy. The next organized footrace across America did not take place until 1992.
Bibliography
Kastner, Charles B. Bunion Derby: The 1928 Footrace Across America. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2007.
Williams, Geoff. C. C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America. New York: Rodale, 2007.