By Davy Crockett

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Today’s ultras usually have few disruptions from outsiders or spectators. The most serious disturbances are typically from people who take down course flagging which can cause runners to go off course, potentially putting them in serious danger.  But during the era of ultrarunning more than 120 years ago, with thousands of spectators watching exhausted runners go in circles for six days, strange disruptions were commonplace. During high profile races, squads of policemen were required to keep the order. This is the fourth part of the Ultrarunning Stranger Things series. See Part 1, Part 2 (Hallucinations), and Part 3 (Sickness and Death).

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Disruptions

In 1879, at Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York, an indoor six-day walking competition was taking place between five walkers in front of a nice crowd in Lehmann’s Hotel. It was put on by William Van Houten (1857-1914). The event was going along fine until two well-known local men entered the room, John Wilson, and Aleck Fisher.  At the time most of the competitors were off track, sleeping, and so were many of the spectators. “Wilson jumped on the track and commenced breaking it up, while Fisher went about the room upsetting the benches on which were the sleeping Canarsieites."

"One of the walkers, Clinton Drake, requested Wilson to desist from breaking up the track, whereupon Wilson caught Drake by the shoulders, shook him and threatened to throw him out the window. Wilson broke the track up to such an extent that it became necessary to stop the walk.” The two men were arrested by a constable but pleaded not guilty. Drake pressed charges of assault and battery again Wilson, who pleaded not guilty to that charge too.

In 1879 at the 3rd Astley Belt Race in Gilmore's Garden, New York City, as the leader, Charles Rowell (1852–1909), was trotting on the track, a man rushed from the west side of the building and yelled "an offensive epithet" at Rowell. "At this instant the English pedestrian got afraid, and there was tremendous excitement. A policeman arrested the man and took him out, and a policeman accompanied Rowell round the track until order was restored."

A Gang Interferes

Apgar in later years

Also in 1879, a contest in the Industrial Art Building in Philadelphia experienced many disruptions. Melville B. Apgar (1950-1934), of New York City, who fought in the Civil War as an underage infantryman, was in the lead on day four of a six-day race when an incident ruined his race. “He was going around at a fair gait when a drunken man came on the track, and the acting referee, Jones, ordered him off. He refused to go, and a scuffle ensued, during which the drunken man fell against Apgar as he was passing and knocked him down.” Apgar tried to continue for several miles, but his knee had been sprained and he had to withdraw from the race.  Apgar and his friends criticized the race management, and one of them, Clark, made a very inflammatory speech about the terrible treatment received. “He was instantly surrounded by a crowd, and cries of ‘Put him out,” and “Kill him” and the like were freely used, and a rush was made.” The race manager asked the police to kick Clark out of the building and they did.

Rumors circulated that there were further threats against Apgar and his friends from John Comber’s notorious “Reading Hose Gang”. A large police force of officers was brought in to prevent any more disturbances. But still, “Tricks” Muldoon, a member of the gang stole a cornet from a musician who was playing in the band during the event. The Reading Hose gang was an infamous group of ruffians that made their headquarters near the Reading Railroad depot...