C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America

by Geoff Williams

Among the runners of C. C. Pyle's First Annual International Transcontinental Foot Race were an assortment of underdogs, including twenty-year-old Oklahoman and part Cherokee Andy Payne, who wanted to win over the girl of his dreams and pay off the mortgage on his family's farm; Paul "Hardrock" Simpson, who was in over his head but couldn't let down his North Carolina hometown; Mike Kelly, a luckless boxer from Indiana; Seattle's Ed Gardner, one of four black runners who encountered bigotry; Charles Hart, a sixty-three-year-old Englishman hoping his best days weren't behind him; and Frank Johnson, a middle-aged husband, father, and steelworker from St. Louis who broke away from his humdrum life and dared to do something different. Newspaper and magazine journalist Geoff Williams details this historic event and the colorful cast of characters involved, based on firsthand accounts of those who were there and interviews from many living descendants. C. C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race is a classic American story so astonishing and surreal that you have to hear it to believe it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Sports, Audiobook

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Laura Murdoch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book about a little know piece of American history. I couldn't decide between 3 or 4 stars, but settled on 4 because I was impressed with all of the research and anecdotal stories that the author put into the book. The book was about a foot race between L.A. and N.Y.C. in 1928. The men ran across the country the equivalent of 2-3 marathons a day 7 days a week in all kinds of weather...and in bad shoes! As a runner, I know what bad shoes can do. This was the ultimate AMAZING RACE!

[jlmoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic historical information on a real event ...set back in 1928, 199 men set out for a $25,000 prize. They were to run 3422 miles from Los Angeles to New York in 84 days. They ran 7 days a week, running the equivialent of 2-3 marathons each day!

[Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read about an amazing footrace. Heroic, amazing, historical.Seabiscuit but with people.

[Al Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book on a 1928 trans continental foot race, organized by Showman CC Pyle. There are a lot of colorful characters and the hardships that the runners go through is quite intense, Football Star Red Grange is Pyle’s lieutenant and is charge a lot of he race while Pyle goes into hiding from Creditors. The route (mostly) follows historic 66 which had just opened and the race was partially set to showcase that road. A Suspense to the end not only who wins but will the runners get paid or will Pyle turn insolvent?

[Steve Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and often funny account of a garrulous, charismatic and shady sports promoter who organizes a cross continent footrace in the age of endurance events.

The characters portrayed are larger than life, often bizarre, and always interesting. The accounts of their challenges make it apparent how grueling this race was, and how utterly courageous so many of them were.

I truly liked this book. The audiobook version lacks the pep it deserves, however.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable story of a relatively unknown triumph of human endurance. As an amateur runner (the furthest I've ever run is 10km) it was inspiring to read about how the 55 finishers ran between 27-93km per day for 84 straight days under very poor conditions. Williams chronicles lots of humour and back story which helped 1928 USA come alive. I kept thinking that this would make an epic movie or historical fiction novel.

[Riley Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have nothing but praise for this book. The author gives context to every part of the race. The runners are inspiring in their quest to finish. The pain and perils of the race are right there to see and feel. Anyone who has run a long race such as a marathon can take their own experience and imagine doing that - and more - day after day after day.

Highly recommended!

[Christine Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the prompts on the MCLS reading challenge is a book about sports. I'm totally not a sports person, but this seemed a little different and interesting. It was a little repetitive and maybe a bit longer than I would have liked, but it was actually interesting and I learned about a little piece of history that I had no idea about before!

[Kevin Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story of a cross country foot race that occurred on the 1920's. The author does an excellent job telling the story of the race itself and of setting it in the context of the times. Hard to believe how much the world has changed in less than 100 years.

[Rene Fornaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. I was hooked from the very beginning. It is an amazing historical sports story that made me want to follow in the footsteps of the racers.

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cross-country race in 1928 where over 50 runners make it from LA to NYC? Yes, it did. The Roaring Twenties was the age of spectacle, endurance sports, and celebrity.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining book about a crazy scheme in the 1920's

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1928, C.C. Pyle organized a race across America – from Los Angeles to New York City. Contestants ran approximately 30-50 miles every day with no support as we find in marathons today. They had to provide their own food, water, and equipment. Sleeping arrangements were barely adequate. The first place contestant was to win $25,000. What is amazing is that about 50 out of 198 contestants finished! Williams tells the story of the race, nearly day by day, and of many of the contestants. The story is also about C.C. Pyle, a shyster and self- promoter in a league with P.T. Barnum.

I was amazed that anyone could undergo the torment of this race and survive day after day. The individual stories are fascinating. I could have done with less about C.C. Pyle and his shenanigans.

[Scott Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't get enough of this book so I ordered the DVD "The Great American Foot Race" and another book about the same event called, "Bunion Derby: The 1928 Footrace Across America." The movie is just o.k, the second book seems promising.
Williams really does an amazing job detailing the characters and history of the event. I'm an avid fan of endurance races. I watch the Tour de France religiously every year. Nothing, though, in my knowledge, comes close to what these runners (not only the 55 who finished) endured. But, beyond the incredible stories of the main characters, Williams details pre-depression America as well as anyone.

[Bennjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third time reading this book. I am always amazed and surprised by the runners of CC Pyle's Transcontinental Foot Race. When we think of how easy it is to complain about our lot and station in life, 199 runners in 1928 set out on the eve of the Depression to forge ahead and pave the way for distance running today. What I find most inspiring about this is that it reads as a story about real people FOR real people. A must read.

[Meggen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me very tired at times just reading about the endurance of these athletes, all the injuries they dealt with along the way, and the sheer insanity of this race! Still, it was interesting enough to keep me plodding through it. The beginning and the end were a little slow for me, though. And, there are lots of characters to try and remember.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an era in which everyone wanted to do the next great extreme thing (before today's extreme sports), some 50 men set out to run across the country (in leather dress shoes, mostly, way before Nikes). No PowerBars, no Gatorade, sometimes without food or proper sleep. Adding to the challenge: C.C. Pyle was a crook.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about a footrace across the country that most people don't remember. I found the author's style a bit awkward at first but either I adjusted or he got better because it didn't bother me as much at the end.



I recommend this book to runners and fans of contests and amazing human feats.

[Vix · Rating 3 out of 5]

My brother lent me this book around the time I began training for a half marathon. It revealed the beginnings of competitive distance running in the 20th Century and was a pretty entertaining read. A billion characters/runners to keep up with so it felt a little scattered but overall a decent read.

[Billie Pastor · Rating 1 out of 5]

It could have been so much better! I suffered through this book. I was hoping for a look at the runners and the suffering they endured and the course they followed. Instead it was a jumping around story line which didn't let u connect with any character. In addition, most of the focus was on the slime bag organizer. They missed the mark in this book.

[Chalky · Rating 5 out of 5]

After rereading Flanagan's Run, a fictional and highly enjoyable account of the "Bunion Derby" it was great to read the real thing.

As a book, Flanagan' Run is far more gripping (about time a movie was made of it) though getting a richer historical, fact based account makes it a very good companion read.

[Brad Melius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing story well told, though it does drag a bit in the middle (not unlike the country the runners were crossing, if I'm honest). C.c. Pyle makes Barnum look like a philanthropist. Those were tough times, and the book brings that home. These men ran thousands of miles because they believed it was their best opportunity, and I dont think they were wrong.

[Jody Bachelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun piece of American history -- it beggars belief on almost every page. In 1928 C. C. Pyle decided to organize a cross-country foot race, and a couple hundred men take on the challenge. Who needs running shoes or a shower, a decent bed, or decent food after running 25-50 miles a day, every day?

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the era of hucksters one man tries to make money by offering a footrace from California to New York. Besides following the set-up of the race and then the race itself the book gives a snapshot of that time period of the early 1900's.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book on a whim because I have always been interested in endurance events. Amazing to think what these guys endured and how well they performed under the circumstances. Some of these runners were turning in good times under horrible conditions.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

America had a love affair with endurance events in the 1920's, from flagpole-sitting to dance marathons. Williams does a great job of putting this one together, and you actually feel that you are along for the ride for this insane but inspiring race.

[Linda B.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not what I expected. The story was more about C.C. Pyle and not as much for the runners. It did talk about the runners, just not in great detail. It was more about C. C. Pyle's life as a con man.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book. was looking for a fantastic fiction book about this race, that I read years ago and discovered this nonfiction version. an interesting read with photos from the event. a true testament to man's will.

[Daniel Farabaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from the fact that it got a little repetitive in the middle, as it recounted each race day, this was an interesting read. The race itself was great with interesting personas and it did a good job putting it into the context of its time.