The Great American Foot Race: Ballyhoo for the Bunion Derby!

by Andrew Speno

Introduces young readers to a little-known event—the Transcontinental Foot Race— which came to be known as the Bunion Derby. In 1928, the height of the Roaring Twenties—a time of optimism, a time of excess, and the Age of Ballyhoo—publicity-seeking Americans tried to outdo each other with outrageous stunts. Dance marathoners danced for days on end, pole-sitters sat atop flagpoles for weeks, trained athletes worked to beat records, and Charles Lindbergh made the first solo transatlantic flight. What could top this? Cyrus Avery, an ordinary Oklahoma businessman, teamed up with C.C. Pyle, the “P.T. Barnum of Professional Sports,” to hold a transcontinental foot race. More than 100 men of all races and nationalities started the race in California and faced all manner of obstacles—from extreme weather to poor food and living conditions, to prejudice to injury—to make the cross-country journey across the United States, ending in New York City. This “Bunion Derby” pushed human endurance to the limits in an unforgettable show of “ballyhoo.” Includes archival photographs, a map of the derby route, stats, a bibliography, and source notes.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Sports, Juvenile, Teen

176 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2017

Reviews

[Ann Valdez · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting book about a little reported part of American history! While the main aspect of the book is about a transcontinental race from California to New York, also related is a bit of the stories of the development of the famed Route 66 and the highway system, the dance marathons, and the first marathon. The book is also the story of C.C. Pyle, the “P.T. Barnum of professional sports.” Pyle came up with an idea to have a race across the United States. His $25,000 prize for first would draw many men. Towns were to pay $1000 or more to have the runners come their way, people were supposed to pay to see, and the highway system was supposed to sponsor the race as well. Those three financial backings did not happen as planned, and the runners did not get the food nor nightly lodging comfort as promised. Their individual stories are told which adds much to the story. The black face prejudice in Texas, the hometown boys get huge welcomes, and one even lands a new job. The black and white photos add a great deal to the story allowing the readers to see the actual participants, land, cities, and even the program sold. History lovers and sports lovers alike will enjoy this book. It could be coupled with the study of the 1920’s.

I received this book from the publishers as part of Region 11 School Librarians Review Group. That in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who would have thought that the construction of a new highway would lead to a cross-country marathon? But that's exactly what happened. and Speno describes how the concern of business owners and a clever sports promoter came together in a very unexpected way. The construction of Route 66 had businesses along the proposed length of the highway looking for increased recognition in hopes of future customers traveling through, and they teamed up with C.C. Pyle to create an event that would capture public attention. Looking back from our world of social media and constant news coverage, it's hard to imagine the obstacles that stood in their way. The fact that this came at the end of the Roaring Twenties with its dance marathons, pole-sitters, and other outlandish competitions helps to explain why people would be willing to attempt such a monumental feat.

Complete with descriptions of the key figures, maps of the route, historical photos, and even advertisements of the race, the book traces the event from its inception through every milestone along the way and the results at the finish line.

Those who are interested in marathons and running, or who simply enjoy sports stories of all sorts, will have an entertaining dip into a piece of history. It is also a good read for anyone interested in the ballyhoo mentality of the Twenties.

[Joey Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot because of it being nonfiction. For me to read a book that is not about sports or is not non fiction is very hard for me to read. Overall I think this book was a good book to start the year with and hope to continue reading more books about either sports or that are non fiction.

[Chelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, focused look at how Route 66 and American highways came to be through the lens of a transcontinental marathon race. I cannot stress enough how meticulously-formatted and edited this nonfiction work is - I could not get over how smoothly the pages transitioned between primary sources/sidebars and the main text! This was also easy to read and felt appropriate for both middle school and high school. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction narrative of the first trans-American race in 1928. Well-written, flowing, with just enough background to give proper perspective without taking away from the purpose of the book. Pictures, charts, map timeline, and extensive bibliography support the text.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really more like 3.5 stars - interesting account of a footrace/ultramarathon I had never heard of before this book.

[Ctmurrays · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Interesting read.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my library screwed up by shelving this in the adult section, but I was a middle schooler once, so I kept with it. Not bad.

[Flossmoor Public Library (IL) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

- Miss Anna

[Osprey20 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book once you get to Pg. 50.

[Nathan Hardman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I just read a YA picture book about running? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes.

Always a sucker for a running book and this one happened to be a cool story I had never heard before.

[Corey Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable for anyone liking running or ultra marathon events.

[Sage Jeffers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great American Footrace by Andrew Speno Nonfiction book Review
By Sage Jeffers
The Great American Footrace is about the boom of crazy sports in the 1920s. C.C. Pyle came up with what he called the Transcontinental Foot Race. This 3,400 mile race ran from Los Angeles to Madison Square garden in New York. 180 runners signed up to run the race but less than 50 finished. The runners ran through the grand canyon, over mountain ranges and through bad weather, injuries could strike at any moment and reckless drivers hit runners more than a few times. All the runners did it for the chance at a share of $50,000 and the ability to say “I ran across the U.S.”
Overall I did like this book because it was fairly quick and moved fast. I don't often read nonfiction books but it was a good change of pace and it was interesting. It was a lot of fun to follow the successes and struggles of the runners over the 84 days it took them to run across the U.S. I would definitely suggest this book to someone who like running or marathons or just wants to learn about something new.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for professional publication.