Draft:Matt Maloney (runner)
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Matt Maloney | |
|---|---|
| Born | Matthew M. Maloney 28 SEP 1880 Aylroe, Labasheeda, Clare, Ireland |
| Died | 17 Nov 1927 Brooklyn, Kings, New York, USA |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Marathon runner |
| Known for | Early 20th-century marathon running in the United States |
Matt Maloney (October 26, 1882 – unknown[clarification needed])was an Irish-American long-distance runner who gained prominence in the early 1900s for his marathon running achievements in the United States.
Marathon Craze
[edit]In the London marathon of 1908, the Italian runner Dorando Pietri entered the stadium in the lead but staggered in the wrong direction, eventually collapsing. He was assisted by supporters, but his disqualification followed, despite his heroics. Johnny Hayes, an Irish-American, claimed the Gold Medal for the U.S., though Pietri’s efforts captured the world’s sympathy and admiration. The rivalry between Pietri and Hayes sparked a series of challenge races across the U.S. over the next few years, with many Irish athletes, including Maloney, competing for large monetary prizes. These events could see a winner walk away with as much as $10,000 for a night’s work.
Large crowds attended these professional races, often numbering up to 20,000 people. These events were sometimes held in open-air arenas, where the runners would race on muddy tracks.
Marathon career
[edit]Born in Aylroe, Labasheeda, County Clare, Ireland, Maloney emigrated to the United States around the age of 20. He initially settled in New York, where he began his running career in 1907 at the age of 25. Despite having no prior experience in competitive running, Maloney quickly made a name for himself with a third-place finish in the National Junior Cross Country Championships in New York.
Trinity Athletic Club
[edit]Before emigrating to the US Maloney worked as a farm hand and took a great interest in athletics although not affiliated with any club. He arrived in Brooklyn a year or two ago and made his home at 194 Tenth street, He secured a position as a bartender in a local saloon but quit the job two weeks ago to train for the Marathon run which he won.
The following September Maloney became a member of the Trinity Club. Harvey Cohn started him in the first weekly cross country run of the season, and gave him pointers which helped him no doubt to win the Marathon. Maloney entered the club's five and a half mile run with a pack of thirty or more opponents.
He had the limit handicap and was the first to break the tape at the end of the race. All the runners congratulated him, and told him to stick to the game, as they felt sure that he would be a star. Prior to the ten mile national championship run of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, at Celtic Park, on November 7. Maloney made his public debut in a three mile race at the Sixty-ninth Regiment Armory, and was placed fourth. In the ten mile run, he ran a good race with the best long distance men in the country and finished twelfth, winning a prize. In the junior championship cross country run which was held at Celtic Park the week following, he finished third to James J. Lee, Boston A. A., and Frank Kramer, Acorn A.A. He won the team championship for Trinity.
Yonkers Marathon, 1908
[edit]Maloney soon turned his attention to the marathon. In his letter about the Yonkers Marathon in 1908, he recalls the experience:
“When I arrived in Rye, the starting point, I was accompanied by my attendant Harry McGrath. Among my friends in the car were J.J. Lynch, J.J. Corkery, and D.C. Nolan. I made up my mind to beat Mike Crowley, the star runner of the Irish American Club in New York.
‘Matt,’ said McGrath, ‘I want you to win today, you can do it.’ ‘I’m sure I’ll try my best,’ I replied, ‘and if I don’t win, it won’t be my fault.’
A big brown dog trotted by, and I told Harry to keep it close until the race started. ‘If the dog follows me,’ I said, ‘I’ll win.’ Sure enough, the dog followed me for the first seven miles, and I knew then that I had the race in hand.
By 20 miles, I could tell that Crowley wasn’t looking as strong as I felt. I had him beat, so I decided to hold back a little before making my move. When we hit the city limits, I could hear the crowd cheering. I pushed on, trying for the record. At the finish, I was asked where the line was—Crowley was still some 100 yards behind. My time was 2 hours, 58 minutes.”
Maloney didn't confirm whether he broke the course record, but the time suggests it may have been close.
Celebration Dinner
[edit]His next big race was the Yonkers Marathon on Thanksgiving Day. At that time he was still a bartender and had to be on his feet practically eighteen hours a day. He started off with a big field, and after running fifteen miles without an attendant, somebody gave him a drink which put him in a stupor and he was forced to stop. Maloney neither drinks nor uses tobacco. Maloney will start in the Thirteenth Regiment Marathon on Lincoln's Birth- day. He is also looking forward to the Boston Marathon which will be held next April. Dr. Melish has secured a place for Maloney at a local department store where he will be a floor walker. The Trinity athletes declare for Marathon purposes probably no better job could be named.
The club held a large dinner in honour of his victory at the Trinity Club at 157 Montague street with 500 attendees where Maloney explained how he ran and won the race, and Harvey Cohn, the trainer of the track team, will tell how he trained Maloney for the race. He was presented with a Marathon trophy by the AAU following the dinner.
The American Marathon, 1909
[edit]Another letter from Maloney recounts his victory in the American Marathon on January 8, 1909, at Madison Square Garden in New York. This was one of the popular indoor marathon races that had captured public interest at the time.
Maloney describes the race: “32 runners started, but I knew Mike Crowley was my biggest rival. I let the others set the pace early on, but after the 17-mile mark, I took over the lead. Crowley was ahead of me at mile 20, but by the 21st mile, I pulled ahead again. By the finish, I had lapped him twice.”
Maloney’s detailed race notes show how he gradually moved ahead, with mile-by-mile times tracking his progress and ultimate victory. His winning time was 2 hours, 54 minutes, and 45 seconds, setting a new world record for the 25-mile indoor marathon. The previous record had been set by American runner J. Gassman in 1884 at 2 hours, 52 minutes, 24 seconds.
“The old Garden was huge,” reported The New Yorker on October 27, 2015 in its feature about the sellout event’s interior. “Its Moorish minaret was the second-highest tower in the city, and its auditorium was the largest in the world. Even so, running 26.2 miles inside was a stretch. The organizers constructed a track measuring a tenth of a mile; the race was two hundred and sixty-two laps.”
The New York Times coverage mentioned that “flags waved and partisans cheered until the big amphitheater trembled with sound, and through it all the rival runners plodded around the ten-laps-to-the-mile track, and inhaled the dust and tobacco smoke with which the hall reeked.” A riot was “narrowly averted,” according to The New York Times, when Pietri won by 43 seconds, in 2:44:20.
World Record
[edit]A few weeks later, before a crowd of more than 5,000, Matthew Maloney of Brooklyn’s Trinity Athletic Club won a much-anticipated marathon the evening of January 8, 1909. His win, in 2:54:45, established an amateur record for indoor long-distance running.
“Maloney ran the entire race with excellent judgment,” The New York Times published the next day, “and was in excellent trim when Referee James E. Sullivan handed him the big silver cup.” 31 competitors began the race, with 22 finishing the entire distance. Maloney’s closest opponents included James F. Crowley, who came in second place, and third place went to Sidney H. Hatch.
“A marked feature of the race as indicating the good training condition of the contestants was the fact that not a man collapsed and, although many took a slow pace toward the finish, none of those who stuck to the task were “done up” in any way at the finish,” concluded The New York Times about the history-making race in the Flatiron District. “The fact that so many were able to stay in the running was in itself the marked feature of the race.”
A Professional Career
[edit]After his Madison Square win, Maloney turned professional. His first match race was against fellow Irishman Pat White from Donabate, County Dublin, held at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City.
In the early laps, Maloney set a solid pace, but by mile 18, White led by over two laps. However, Maloney fought back, and White eventually dropped out, leaving Maloney to cruise to victory in what became his seventh consecutive win in a full marathon.
A Legacy of Achievement
[edit]Maloney’s indoor marathon world record stood for many years. The 1962 edition of the World Almanac still listed his record time for the 25-mile distance, suggesting that it may have never been broken. He was part of a tradition of Irish runners excelling in indoor athletics, following in the footsteps of other greats like Ron Delany and later Eamonn Coghlan, who continued to break records long after Maloney’s time.
After retiring from professional racing, Maloney enjoyed a successful career, making a comfortable living from marathon racing. His legacy as one of the sport’s pioneers endures, as he remains a figure of admiration for the Irish-American athletic community and beyond.
Despite the scarcity of information, Matt Maloney's achievements in the early days of marathon running highlight his talent and contribution to the sport's history in the United States. His story serves as a reminder of the many talented athletes who emerged during the "Golden Age" of marathon running in the early 20th century.
Life after running
[edit]Matt got married on 4/11/1916 to Eleanor [Ella] V Phelan in St Francis Xavier Church Brooklyn NY. She was the daughter of NYC fireman Samuel & Catherine Phelan.
Maloney purchased and owned the largest saloon in Brooklyn pre prohibition and lived at 1 Sherman St Brooklyn.
He died 11/27, intered Holy Cross Cemetery NYC 11/21/27, cause of death a lung infection possibly or possibly TB.
General references
[edit]- The Matt Maloney Legend - Cork Athletics
- https://www.nytimes.com/1908/12/27/archives/maloney-sets-new-marathon-record-trinity-ac-runner-covers-full.html
- "Dinner for Matt Maloney". Brooklyn Eagle. January 3, 1909. p. 19. Retrieved November 15, 2024.