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

by Andrew Speno

Overview

This accessible and thoroughly researched nonfiction debut introduces young readers to a fascinating, little-known event—the Transcontinental Foot Race, which came to be known as the Bunion Derby. It is set 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." This book is written in a folksy style that perfectly captures the mood and tone of the late 1920s and includes archival photographs, a map of the derby route, stats, a bibliography, and source notes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629797977
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	04/04/2017
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Lexile:	1100L (what's this?)
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	10 - 17 Years

About the Author

Andrew Speno first learned of the Bunion Derby from a feature article in Runners' World. This is his first book. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his family.

Table of Contents

Start Boom! 8

1 The Age of Ballyhoo 13

2 A Plan to Motor West 21

3 "The P.T. Barnum of Professional Sports" 31

4 C. C. Pyle's First Annual International Transcontinental Foot Race 47

5 A Motley Crew 60

6 Los Angeles: And They're Off! 66

7 California: Reckoning on the Pass and in the Desert 74

8 Arizona and New Mexico: Rocky Mountain Highs… and Lows 82

9 Texas-Sized Troubles 96

10 Oklahoma's Favorite Son 101

11 Missouri and Illinois: Dash across the Midwest 110

12 Indiana and Ohio: The Bunion Derby on Life Support 120

13 Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey: The Home Stretch 128

14 New York City: Finish Line 135

Finish

Crash! 144

The Bunion Derby Map 152

Source Notes 154

Bibliography 161

Acknowledgments 170

Index 173

Picture Credits 776

Editorial Reviews

"Speno's detailed, engaging narrative brings the times and the race vividly to today's readers...and plentiful archival material complements the lively narrative. An absorbing story of colorful times." -Kirkus Reviews

"In 1928... C. C. Pyle hatched the idea to have a transcontinental foot race. This inspiring book recounts the story of some of the 199 men...from all over the world who entered this grueling race. It recalls their struggles against difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions, injuries, and the prejudice some of the black racers encountered. The strength of this debut lies in the racers' compelling reasons for running. This overview of a little-known race will appeal to fans of extreme sports, history, and survival stories." - Booklist

"Speno's nonfiction debut hypnotically weaves the history of the 1920s into a colorful quilt of perseverance and ambition...Speno supports the story with a clear narrator who speaks to all readers. Young readers will lose themselves in the ballyhoo of the time, while older readers will want to further research the racers who have made a lasting impact on the world of running. Historical pictures and documents bring the story to life. Similar to Pyle's monumental race, this book is a must 'see.'" - VOYA

From the Publisher

03/01/2017
Gr 6 Up—The story of the first footrace across the continental United States, from Los Angeles to New York City. Sponsored in 1928 by boosters of the newly created Route 66 as a way to publicize the road, the footrace stands as a symbol of the Roaring Twenties, in all its excess and aspiration. One hundred ninety-nine racers, or "bunioneers," stood at the starting line in Los Angeles, and 55 crossed the finish line in New York. Debut author Speno follows their journey through the small towns of America, recounting events of the race and regaling readers with interesting cultural and historical asides. Much of the book's attention is devoted to C.C. Pyle, the race's lively promoter, and his travails as he attempted to turn a profit on what turned out to be a fairly expensive endeavor. If Speno's highly readable account has a flaw, it is that the focus is too wide; episodes involving the runners are frequently told in summary. Students looking for an individual runner to root for will be hard-pressed. But the true star of the narrative is the landscape of the United States. Readers learn about the so-called Age of Ballyhoo, when pastimes such as flagpole sitting were all the rage; witness the racism encountered by African American runners as the competition moved through Texas; and hear of the disappointment of the citizens of Oklahoma when their hometown runner didn't stop to give a longer speech as he passed through. VERDICT A solid addition to narrative nonfiction collections where niche history topics are popular.—Bobbi Parry, East Baton Rouge Parish School System, LA

School Library Journal

2017-02-01
Marathons are commonplace now, but one of the earliest 20th-century long-distance races was the multiday, coast-to-coast Transcontinental Foot Race, little known now but an event that captured the world's imagination in 1928. The race began in Los Angeles and finished in New York City, covering 3,423.5 miles. Out of the 199 runners who began on March 4, 1928, only 55 finished 84 days later. Newspapers called it the Bunion Derby. The race was conceived by Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery at the height of the Roaring '20s, a time of optimism and excess. Charles Lindbergh had recently made the first solo trans-Atlantic flight. People tried to outdo each other with outrageous stunts. Dance marathoners danced for days, and pole-sitters sat atop flagpoles for weeks to set and break records. Avery teamed up with C.C. Pyle, the "P.T. Barnum of Professional Sports," to organize the race. The nearly 200 men of all races and nationalities who started the race faced a variety of obstacles—extreme weather, poor food and living conditions, prejudice, and injury. Speno's detailed, engaging narrative brings the times and the race vividly to today's readers. Chapters are broken up into topical subsections (on the "Good Roads Movement" and international participation, for instance), and plentiful archival material complements the lively narrative. An absorbing story of colorful times. (photos, maps, statistics, bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 10-16)

Kirkus Reviews