PLUCKY' DORANDO.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 734, 5 February 1910, Page 14

PLUCKY' DORANDO.

BEATEN BY.';GARDINER IN INDOOR :-/, ; viy^^;v::MAßATHdN;j:;;;:v;^ : . -'■'■DorandoV the.■'.sturd^little-'ltaliah:ath-leteiwho' was'-the^herd'bf' the memorable scene;ii'• the I 'Stathtun 'at Shepherd's' Bush at, the eiid of'the "great .Marathon race of July,; 1908; -lost,.a>ace'in the Albert Hall on .■December-18 ' through the tragedy ;6f a; new'pair'of .shoes. ; '\ '-$, : ';His.\6ppbhent":'!was ."Charles\3Gardiner,;sa tall,'lithe' Englishman;' who :Wo'n the second 'i'Eond.on'.i"Evening' .•.News" ':Marathbn and.is said-"!© be- the. finest, runner, since Shrubb's advent.- . The ; oourse"' was ''a roped-off, circle in the centre. of the hall, so small/that ;there. were..twenty,- laps .to .the'-.mile.; .'The.distance, to be traversed was the same as .from Windsor to .the' 'Stadium—26, miles; 385; yards. ; V'-. ; ' i-'. • Gardiner,.with ;'a long,'swinging,, -graceful i stride, set off at ...an astonishingly, 'rapid.pace. "Behind.him, : far less graceful, inaction, trotted Dorando—.the. same quaint,'-little I 'figure 'in'red .running drawers .that.panted into.the.packed Stadium. JTbrV ten ..'miles'the tall man led, the short -0ne......80und and round they went,-like automatons.on fan' autpmatio toy., Then, throwing up his hands in dismay,'' Dorando stopped without, warning. -He collapsed, in'a chair, while: Gardiner went on:,remorselessly.;..-.: '■:'.- .'. Instead -of,-wearing;, an old,'\worn,!and well-tried,. pair; of, running shoes, Dorando was'persuaded to don a smart new pair for. the contest., Between 1 Dorando's toes,'-'before he---put :-on : .'. his .hew shoes,,..' little., .wads ... of .' .:cbtton-wool were',.placed.;-..8ut.-,it ..was -on ' the soles of his feet, ;and not: between his toes, that .cruel blisters came. - A 6 .his, .two brothers, were soothing his , aching feet with -ointments and .;• cotton-wool,- and .Gardiner was adding lap .'after lap to, hi 3 lead, poor Dorando N . almost 'wept with rage against the fate-which made him -consent'to ',wear the hew, 'stiff shoes. "■" ■ ■ Gardiner was. :'a mile -ahead' before Dorando got gingerly to his feet. He was not in the least exhausted. -Fall of- running, he set off to pick up lost ground. But his quick stride fell to a painful trot, and then,to a mere hobble.: It was evidently/agony ..to him- to -run,;at' all. Again -he collapsed; again his tortured feet were dressed; again -Gardiner, -with a; splendid machine-like stride, forged farther ■'. ahead.. ■ ■. .; Up again, the little man sped away at top speed.', ;But in two' laps he, .was walking laboriously, holding; the rail of.'the course for support. His courage*brought' hirii; frantic cheers. : He would;not give in.'Resting, running,-hobbling, walking' —he kept heroically, on until.thetwentythird mile. Then, being literally ; ,unable, to put one blistered foot before the other, he.had to. retire. '•■.,-■.' ~',...

At:the end Gardiner showed'no rigns of fatigue. ' When he finally stopped 'his machine-like run he was greeted with immense cheering. In completing, the . dis-. tancein 2h; 37min. 1 £ssec. .he had created a. record for an,' indoor track, be-; ing 7miri..', 19sec; faster, than 'the .indoor Marathon ' record, created' in November,' 1908, by Dorando when he beat Hayes at Madison Square Gardens, Now .York. Aswinner, Gardiner received £109; Dorando, as loser, received JESO.