h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What was quite unusual (and therefore Quite Interesting) about the 50 yard dash at the 1923 annual Thanksgiving Track and Field Tournament at San Quentin Maximum Security Prison?

Google and Wikipedia are forbidden.

There are klaxons, naturally, so be bold, preferably interesting but never obvious.

Good Luck.

Esca...

Nah. At random, I'll guess the Baseball team who threw the 1919 World Series won the relay?

An interesting idea but that's not it.

It is usually in long distance, especially Marathon running, that this particular phenomenon occurs, but due to the sadistic nature of the prison guards, it was the only time it has happened in a sprint event.

All the competitors hit the wall, as the race was held in the prison yard which was 49 yards long.

Also, even more interesting is that the prize for the pole vault is still unawarded as the winner has evaded capture for over 85 years.

Anything to do with professional athletes?

Having looked at my score recently I realise that I have far too many points and need to put some effort into getting rid of them.

So first the obvious, all the finalists were executed within a week of the event.

Second the only slightly less obvious, all the runners wore leg shackles, and the winner finished in 12 minutes 17 seconds.

>Having looked at my score recently I realise that I have far too many points and need to put some effort into getting rid of them.<

Have no fear.

I saw you all coming.


Pebble "as the race was held in the prison yard which was 49 yards long."

Pebble "pole vault over the fence"

Pedro - "They were all professional athletes"

Nobody won?

Oh missed one.

Pebble - "they were all sentenced to death"

Nope. There were winners and runners up.

Only wardens participated?

Nope.

I really must start paying more attention.

Pebble - "They were a chain gang and ran in shackles"

-20 in four fell swoops. That's about half your score if I recall. Feeling better?

it was the first official mixed race, race in recorded history and the first one won by a blackman, and it sparked a riot

A clever thought Taff but no.

as there is a shoot to kill policy on running/escaping cons in jail in the US as soon as the starting gun went off, no one moved for fear of being shot

Also very clever but not right.

That's just the warm up!

I am assuming that the event was held inside the prison and probably in the exercise yard, so was this sprint run around the yard, perhaps two or more laps rather than the traditional straight line.

And this answer reminds me of a another event which took place in an enclosed space..
A famous scene in the film Chariots of Fire about the sprinters Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, recreates a race in which the runners attempt to run round the perimeter of the Trinity Great Court at Trinity College, Cambridge in the time it takes the clock to strike 12 at midday. The film shows Abrahams performing the feat for the first time in history. In fact, at the time of filming the only person on record known to have succeeded was Lord Burghley (who was the template for the character Lord Lindsay, who in the film runs with Abrahams in the court but just fails to complete the course in time). Burghley and Abrahams were not at Trinity at the same time, Burghley's run took place in 1927 some three years after the climax of the film at the 1924 Olympics.

Still love the movie but there are a number of other instances where the truth has been fictionalised for the sake of the story, a warning to all who base their knowledge of history (and literature) on moving picture presentations.

This film is one of many which should carry the standard disclaimer:
"This is a true story, only the facts have been changed to make it more interesting."

>a warning to all who base their knowledge of history (and literature) on moving picture presentations.<

I was saving this for later but...

There is a link to silent movies....I'll give anyone +12 if they get it outright, and I'll not say another thing about it.

first filmed race