Customer Reviews

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

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This was a wonderful journey---as a reader, if not for all the runners who entered this coast-to-coast run.

In the midst of so many people, and so much information, I appreciate the pacing of the story---how Geoff Williams introduced the many subplots and the many characters involved in those subplots, and then returned back to them throughout the book. Williams has a flair for building suspense, with bits of foreshadowing, so that you feel as if you are traveling along with this wildly diverse band of people.

The book has some truly playful, humorous moments---barely a page goes by without a creative turn of phrase or a well-placed jab at someone or something. At times, I found myself laughing out loud at various images that Williams brought forth. I don't think it's spoiling the plot to reveal that one image that stands out is of the runner who was so famished that he ate a candy bar, wrapper in all, on one especially grueling day.

It was also intriguing to see the backdrop of what was happening in the United States at the time---all of the endurance contests, as the Great Depression loomed on the horizon.

This isn't a book solely for sports fans, though they will certainly appreciate the grit required of the runners and the close involvement of no less a legendary character than Red Grange, "The Galloping Ghost."

More than that, it's a book for anyone interested in learning about this slice of American history, as well as some of those who helped embody this time in our nation's development.

It's best personified in the book's central character: Grange's agent and business partner, C.C. Pyle. Williams rightfully details some of the more dubious aspects of Pyle's background and character, but the author shows fair restraint in portraying the promoter so that he comes across in a balanced, maybe even sympathetic, light.

This is one of those books that you want to savor...as entertaining and intriguing as it was to read, I found myself slowing near the end, not quite ready for it to come to a close. I can only hope that it catches the attention of a movie studio and is converted to the silver screen. The idea isn't far-fetched. C.C. Pyle is a key figure in an upcoming George Clooney movie, Leatherheads, and Williams' treatment of the material certainly lends itself to a movie.

I had never heard of this race before...but the book was so well researched...that I felt I was there...just terrific...even for non runners.

The author did a superb job in recreating the race across the United States. I commend him on all of the long hours of research that went into producing this book. As a long distance athlete, I can well relate to the athlete's triumphs and defeats. I do wish their was more personal accounts from the runners themselves, but I am certain that the author would have included more if they were available.

Not much of a review, but my son-in-law knows the author of this book so i thought I would buy it and read it.
I am glad I did. It is a very interesting book in that it gives you a look at our country in the early 20's, a look at some dedicated and not so dedicated runners, and what could be one of the biggest shysters to ever promote a sporting event.

I wanted to keep reading to see how each of the runners faired , how they would be treated, what new concept C.C Pyle could concoct and to see how the citizens would treat these athletes.
You really can't go wrong reading this book.


The only con I would have is that some of the stories about the runners were too short but not enough to hurt the reading of this book.

If this didn't really happen, I would never believe this story. People running marathon (or two) races - 25 to 50 miles - every day for months in horrible weather and terrain? It could only happen in the wild days of The Roaring Twenties in which people were obsessed with setting records.

Today, the conditions under which this incredible event took place, would never happen....for humane reasons, alone. Race organizer/director C.C. Pyle would be vilified and probably arrested!

Anyway, if you want to read a fascinating account of the capabilities of the human body and will to endure, this book will keep you riveted to your seat. I still can't believe this race actually happened!

Everything old really IS new again. The "reality series" of today have nothing on the bizarre endurance contests of the 1920s and early 1930s, which frequently provoked massive media coverage. This book describes one of the unjustly forgotten peaks of this esoteric genre: the International Transcontinental Foot Race of 1928, popularly known as the "Bunion Derby." 199 runners started from California with the goal of reaching Yankee Stadium (later, Madison Square Garden) in New York. Only 50 or so ultimately got there. The event, somewhat haphazardly organized by sports promoter C.C. Pyle, best known as Red Grange's manager, attracted plenty of flakes but also featured some seriously committed long-distance runners. Williams' narrative lays the whole story out for you in gory, blistered, benumbed detail. I could have asked for slightly better writing in a technical sense, but the tale is quite fascinating and will keep your attention till the end.

In C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race, Geoff Williams breathes new life into an old, but true, coast-to-coast adventure that pitted runners from around the world in a grit-filled journey of survival from Los Angeles to New York. Readers are transported back to an era when the technology of telephones and radios, not to mention athletic gear, were still in their infancy and Vaudeville performers entertained the masses.

Cast against this backdrop, Williams tells us the story of sports promoter C.C. "Cash & Carry" Pyle, the Galloping Ghost Red Grange, and a multitude of runners and supporting characters that carved their own niche in the history of America during the spring of 1928.

Williams captures the heart and soul of the 1920s in his narrative, giving us a flavor of a less complicated time when people could turn over their whims to such feats as marathon dancing, eating contests, and flagpole sitting. Yet, under the current of these fanciful pursuits, the story also reveals to us life's realities: the desire to win the heart of your true love, the want for fame and fortune, or, more simply, the fear of losing one's home.

In March 1928, 199 men - each with their own motivations - set off from Los Angeles on a 3,421-mile race of a lifetime. During the journey, we come to know the men of the Bunion Derby like the simple, but pure-hearted Oklahoman Andy Payne, his talented, British rival Pete Gavuzzi, and the loveable laggard Paul "Hardrock" Simpson.

Williams has crafted a masterful story that is richly detailed, yet fast-paced and filled with tender and dramatic moments. While it is clear that the book was meticulously researched from newspaper accounts of the race, archival materials, old letters, and interviews with family members, Williams never overwhelms the reader with too many details at once. Rather, he weaves facts, stories, and curiosities throughout the narrative.

C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race is an engaging book from start to finish that will satisfy history buffs, runners, and anyone seeking out a great human-interest story. Even reality TV fans might be tempted to put down their remotes to read about a real reality contest far more interesting than shows like The Amazing Race or The Apprentice.

I read 50+ books a year- This was the best one I've read in a LONG time- I went cover to cover on this in about a day. It looked interesting and so I picked it up- Great story about a bunch of runners who actually ran across the country in a footrace!! Sounds unbelievable but it actually happened- You won't be disappointed in this one!!

Mr. Williams has captured an outlandish event for all it was worth- the notion of a coast-to-coast foot race covering 30-60 miles daily with out a break through all sorts of weather is a terrific read. Predictably, many who started the race were ill-equipped and ill-trained and fell out early. Those who remained in the race paint a heroic picture of those 1920s vintage marathon personalities. Mr. William's book is also quite valuable as it documents the towns along the route the race took in the late 1920s. "C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race" also traces the original alignment of Route 66 between Los Angeles and Chicago as it was envisioned in 1926, and gives the reader a feel for both the condition of the great American highway, and what the runners faced up to each day as they ran eastward towards New York. All in all, a fine book, well researched and well presented.

I really enjoyed CC Pyle's Amazing Footrace. Right away, Geoff Williams presents the reader with a fascinating cast of characters, including the race's promoter: the PT Barnum-esque CC Pyle. The runners included men like the small-bodied, cigarette-smoking Pete Gavuzzi, the wholesome love-struck Andy Payne, and the ambitious go-getter, Paul "Hardrock" Simpson.

The race kicks off in Los Angeles, and Geoff Williams takes us along as the runners move eastward, at first mostly sprightly, healthy, and well-fed. As the race moves eastward, we get to know these runners more intimately, and can appreciate the friendships and rivalries that develop. The structure of the book lets the reader enjoy the cumulative effect of time, hardship, and hope on these brave participants of the bunion derby. Because Williams paints his scenes and characters so well, I could not help seeing this book as a movie.

Williams also peppers his prose with a lot of humor, which is a wonderfully unexpected thing in a book that is so well researched. I got lost in his narrative voice and finished this book very quickly. Whether you like to run or hate to run, you will love this book that shows humanity at its wackiest, most exhausted and most stubborn.