Show Olympic Marathon Event Has Drama and Suspense By Associated Press To most of us the mere thought of starting out on foot toward a goal 26 miles and yards away is enough to cause a sinking feeling eeling in the region of ot the heart It must take a special brand of courage even to start in a marathon run un to say nothing of the grit it must take to complete the gruelling grind rind Of all the events on the Olympic program the marathon packs Jacks the most interest and drama It nil all goes back to the greatest foot race in history In 90 B. B C. C carried the news of victory over the tho InvadIng invading ing Persians from frona the scene of the battle at Marathon to Athens a distance of exactly 26 n miles les 85 yards He arrived at the City State with just enough life left in him to gasp out ut his Immortal message Rejoice we ve conquer Then fell felt dead ead from exhaustion The next time the historic ground wa vas covered in a race was 2386 years ears later in 1896 when the Olympiad Olympiad iad was reconvened and a Greek sheepherder Loues Loue won On each occasion of tho ren renewal wal of the Olympic Olympio marathon there has been plenty of excitement and drama t to mark its Us running Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps the most dramatic finish of ef the marathon in the tho modern modem Olympic games was the hectic ending of the London grind in 1908 Dorando of ot Italy the greatest great great- est st distance runner of that day was the he first to enter the stadium Half HaJ crazed razed from fatigue he started to torun torun toun run un the wron wrong way around the track rack Officials stopped him and steered him lim right His eyes glazed his face distorted into a grim mask his legs gave javo way under him and he plunged into nto the cinders completely cinders completely out And victory only a few tew yards away A doctor leaped leape down from the stands rushed over o to tho the prostrate athlete and plunged a h hypodermic needle into Do Dorando's andos wrist The Italians Italian's eyelids fluttered He leaped to his feet ran like a wildman for 50 yards and again sprawled on his face in the cinders A couple of his countrymen helped the tho fallen runner to his feet Half HaJ carrying him pleading and urging they formed an escort as he fought the remaining few lew yards across the finish line ine Johnny Hayes of ot the United States came in a moment or two vo later and the battle battlo was on Dorando was finally disqualified and Hayes declared declared de de- de- de dared the winner It was a a. tough break for the great Italian runner but a fair lair decision He never could have havo finished ahead of Hayes under his own power |