Rodale

A riveting account of an incredible 3,423-mile foot race across America, the Great Foot Race of 1928, and C.C. Pyle, the legendary sports promoter who masterminded the event.

A year before the Great Depression, endurance fads were all the rage. From dance marathons to flagpole sitting, everyone was looking for a chance to change their luck, and spectators would shell out hard-earned cash to watch. When notorious sports agent and promoter C.C. Pyle offered a $25,000 prize for a foot race from Los Angeles to New York, 199 runners from all over the world took their marks and half a million spectators flocked to the starting line. The race was grueling, but an astonishing 55 participants made it to the Madison Square Garden finish line 84 days later.

C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race details this historic event and the colorful cast of characters involved.

At the crux of the story are two very different men: the fast-talking, shady, yet forward-thinking promoter C.C. Pyle, always scheming to make a quick buck; and Andy Payne, a 20-year-old part-Cherokee Oklahoman, who entered the competition as a longshot, against many world-class athletes, hoping to save his family's farm and win the heart of the girl of his dreams.

In re-creating this classic American drama, the author accessed exclusive, never-before-published material and the support of several descendants of the characters, including Andy Payne's daughter and C.C. Pyle's great-granddaughter.

GEOFF WILLIAMS is a frequent contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine and is currently writing The Startup, an online reality series about a year in the life of four different businesses, an Entrepreneur series that runs exclusively on America Online.