Race across America by Charles B. Kastner, Paperback, 9780815610991 | Buy online at The Nile
Departments
 Free Returns*

Race across America

Eddie Gardner and the Great Bunion Derbies

Author: Charles B. Kastner   Series: Sports and Entertainment

Race across America
Paperback

In two epic footraces across America in 1928 and 1929, an African American runner, Eddie "The Sheik" Gardner withstood daily death threats and intimidation to compete at the highest levels of the new sports of trans-America racing, and became a symbol hope and pride to Black America for his courage.

On April 23, 1929, the second annual Transcontinental Foot Race across America, known as the Bunion Derby, was in its twenty-fifth day. Eddie ""the Sheik"" Gardner, an African American runner from Seattle, was leading the race. Kastner traces Gardner's remarkable journey from his birth in 1897 to his success as a long-distance runner.

Read more
New
$66.23
Or pay later with
Free 30 day returns       Secure transaction
Check delivery options
Paperback

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

In two epic footraces across America in 1928 and 1929, an African American runner, Eddie "The Sheik" Gardner withstood daily death threats and intimidation to compete at the highest levels of the new sports of trans-America racing, and became a symbol hope and pride to Black America for his courage.

On April 23, 1929, the second annual Transcontinental Foot Race across America, known as the Bunion Derby, was in its twenty-fifth day. Eddie ""the Sheik"" Gardner, an African American runner from Seattle, was leading the race. Kastner traces Gardner's remarkable journey from his birth in 1897 to his success as a long-distance runner.

Read more

Description

On April 23, 1929, the second annual Transcontinental Foot Race across America, known as the Bunion Derby, was in its twenty-fifth day. Eddie "the Sheik" Gardner, an African American runner from Seattle, was leading the race across the Free Bridge over the Mississippi River. Along with the signature outfit that earned him his nickname—a white towel tied around his head, white shorts, and a white shirt—Gardner wore an American flag, a reminder to all who saw him run through the Jim Crow South that he was an American and the leader of the greatest footrace in the world.

Kastner traces Gardner’s remarkable journey from his birth in 1897 in Birmingham, Alabama, to his success in Seattle, Washington, as one of the top long-distance runners in the region, and finally to his participation in two transcontinental footraces where he risked his life, facing a barrage of harassment for having the audacity to compete with white runners. Kastner shows how Gardner’s participation became a way to protest the endemic racism he faced, heralding the future of nonviolent efforts that would be instrumental to the civil rights movement. Shining a bright light on his extraordinary athletic accomplishments and his heroism on the dusty roads of America in the 1920s, Kastner gives Gardner and other black bunioneers the attention they so richly deserve.

Read more

Critic Reviews

“This powerful book has the potential of placing long distance running in its rightful place center stage in the history and struggle of the African-American athlete. . . . A must read for readers interested in sport history.”

Race Across America captures the magnitude of challenges faced by Eddie Gardner as he competed in the greatest race on earth: desert heat, hours of mental and physical strain, endless mountains, intense rain, and racial barriers; and the winning spirit it took for him to reach the finish line.--Lorna Michael "2018 Ultrarunner Hall of Fame"
Shining a bright light on his extraordinary athletic accomplishments and his heroism on the dusty roads of America in the 1920's, Kastner in Race across America gives Gardner and other black bunioneers the attention they so richly deserve.-- "SirReadaLot.org"

Read more

About the Author

Charles B. Kastner is a long-distance runner and the author of The 1929 Bunion Derby: Johnny Salo and the Great Footrace across America.

Read more

Product Details

Publisher
Syracuse University Press
Published
3rd January 2020
Pages
336
ISBN
9780815610991

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.

New
$66.23
Or pay later with
Free 30 day returns       Secure transaction
Check delivery options
Browse by category
YOUR PAYMENT IS SECURE

We use 100% PCI DSS compliant payment services. That means your payment information is always protected, and never gets seen by anyone.
30-DAY FREE RETURN POLICY

Return nearly all items within 30 days of delivery. Unused or faulty items are acceptable as free returns. *Exceptions apply, see our returns policy.

The Nile
Follow Us
Help & Support
Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 The Nile Group.

Zip

 AfterPay

PayPal

Credit Card
Buy Baby at The Nile
 
 
 
Buy Toys at The Nile
Buy Books at The Nile
Buy Movies & TV at The Nile
Our Top Brands