C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race - Book Review

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

I read about this book in one of the 30 magazines I read every month and thought it sounded like something I'd be interested in because it mixes two of my favorite subjects: history and feats of endurance.

I was actually surprised to find it at the large book store, B**d*rs, since they've successfully diluted anything interesting to read by carrying so much poorly written, albeit well-funded, works. Thus, leaving little room for interesting and mind-piquing literature...but I digress.

C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race is a true story of a promoter who conjures up a running event of 3,423 miles, beginning in Los Angeles and finishing in New York City. It takes place in 1928 when feats of endurance (and sparse sanity) are prevalent, such as marathon dancing, pole sitting, and eating contests. With $25,000 in prize money ($296,184.80 in today's value - I looked it up), men would come from all walks of life for a chance at winning the money and, thus, changing their lives for the better in many ways.

The diversity of the participants is a cross section of America, farmers, athletes, unemployed, old, young, black, and white. Some were great athletes and others, well, others were not. They, all 199 of them, had the heart and motivation to start, but only 25% of them would finish. Imagine running 30-50 miles per day for 85 days in a row.

C.C. Pyle

Although easily unlikeable, like most promoters, C.C. Pyle has to be regarded in his gumption, enthusiasm, and flexibility to keep the thing going when problems occur. Some would call him a conman, but a year before the Great Depression he did give hope and dreams not only to the inspired participants, but to all the spectators in all the towns they stopped in each night.

You don't have to be a runner, or athlete for that matter, to enjoy this book. The detailed insight into the characters' minds are relevant to all of our worries, dreams, defeats, and successes.