April Pick Ups

[Michael B]

I don’t post many of my acquisitions and they are usually under autographs. Tomorrow is the running of the Boston Marathon so these are appropriate.

The competitor’s number worn by Alton Roy Welton when he finished ninth in the 1908 Boston Marathon. He set time records at the first three checkpoints, but hit the wall at 16 miles (East Wellesley or Newton Lower Falls) and finished ninth. This helped him quality for the 1908 Olympic marathon where he finished 4th.

Next are the number worn by him and his trainer for the 1908 Olympic marathon. Back then the trainer/coach was allowed to ride beside the runner on a bicycle, but had to wear the number of the athlete. The bottom item is the baggage check tag attached to his personal belongings that were left at the starting point and transported by train to London. The 1908 marathon was point to point, Windsor Castle to White Stadium and they needed to get the runners items back to them.

These items were included in two scrapbooks that belonged to Welton. They include about 40 pages of newspaper articles about the 1908 Olympics along with a few about his other running exploits. There was also a letter from James A. Sullivan, eponym of the Sullivan Award, to Welton about the Boston Marathon and competing for the U.S. in London at the Olympic Games.

The photo, which was purchased first and led to the acquisition of the scrapbooks, shows Welton with 3 of his U.S. teammates approaching the start line. Johnny Hayes, the gold medal winner is No. 26. In the background is No. 19, Dorando Pietri, the Italian runner who was winning the race, but collapsed and was helped across the finish line by race officials. He was later disqualified.