THE FAMOUS RACE

Wisconsin, and taking ten days, starting Friday, August 27,1931.
The contestants were paid $5.00 per day, and official checker
accompanied them all the way and each one represented a town along
the highway. The starters were W. L. Crosse for Antigo; Erwin
Wahlers for Birnawood; Victor Gunderson for Wittenberg; Paul Calum
for Three Lakes; Marcus Dammeier for Ligerton; August Westphal for
Marion; Elmer McQueer for Clintonville; Maynard Service for
Hortonville; Herbert Anklam for Rosendale; Earl Petts for Eagle
River and Erwin Kloen for Picketts, Wisconsin.

By the time the contestants had reached New London, three of
them had dropped out, finding it too exhausting. Dammeier led,
coming from Waupum in 13 hours and 1 minute. Erwin Wahlers was 2nd
and Herbert Anklam of Rosendale was 3rd. Last to arrive was Erwin
Kloehn of Picketts, Wisconsin. Earl Petts of Eagle River was the
first drop-out and Elmer McQueer of Clintonville, who, was next at
Marion; Dammeier was still in the lead, Wahlers was 2nd and Anklam,
3rd. Wahlers led into Birnamwood. When the racers arrived in
Antigo, on September 2nd, Wahlers and Anklam still held the
lead.

That night the contestants were entertained at the Home Theatre,
where all were introduced.

There was a 4-way tie at Three Lakes and the race ended at Eagle
River on September 16th. Wahlers won with an average pace of 5.2
miles per hour, with Anklam 2nd, and Calum 3rd place.

The racers found the gravel roads hardest for pushing and the
concrete paving hardest on the feet. All wheelbarrows were the old
type ‘steel wheel’ which was common at that time, and
rubber-tired ones were almost unknown.

I lived on a farm about three miles North of Wittenberg and saw
the wheelbarrow racers go by on the gravel road. Some were going at
a fast walk or almost a trot; while others just trudged along on
tired feet. The only living members (and that was July 1960) was
Erwin Wahlers of Birnamwood, Wisconsin.