Crimson Marathoners Forced to Toss in Towel After Grim Plod of 7 Miles of Grueling Grind

Followed by an automobile driven by a friend, James F. Gerrity '39 and Francis W. Scofield '40 ran seven of the 26 grueling miles of the B. A. A. Marathon yesterday. Leading 30 contestants at the time, the Crimson plodders were forced to withdraw because of indigestion, leg and shin cramps, blisters, fallen arches, and various other ailments.

The two contestants were formally entered in the classic and were given favored starting positions in the second row.

Impressed by the get-off of the favorites, Scofield said, "They passed us like a shot." Still bemoaning cramps late last night, he announced, "We had hoped to get to Wellesley (14 miles), but some of the hills stopped us." Undigested pop given by their automobile follower was also classed as a hindrance. "At first I thought we had been given beer, but whatever it was, it was impossible to keep it down."

The runners were undismayed by their none too auspicious showing. Scofield declared proudly that they led Tarzan Brown for a good bit of their run. Asked if they would attempt the classic in 1938, he said, "Sure."

The only other identified Crimson runner was S. M. Charley '37. Charley favored the peculiar gangling style of running used by Clarence DeMar but not with quite such good results. For, while the 49-year-old veteran finished a strong 14th, Charley was still unheard from at a late hour last night. He was last seen trying to negotiate a hummock near Newton Lower Falls.

The Gerrity-Scofield-Charley attempt was not the first in Crimson long distance running annals. Last year Robert S. Playfair '36, captain of the Cross Country team, met disaster in a 20-mile jaunt. After performing well for over half the race, the exhausted harrier unfortunately fell amok and deviated from the course, ended by fetching up against a tree.