Andy Payne won the 1928 Bunion Derby, a transcontinental footrace associated with U.S. Route 66.
The race began in Los Angeles on March 4, 1928, and was promoted as a dramatic test of endurance across the United States. Competitors followed much of the newly designated highway toward Chicago, giving Route 66 valuable publicity only a short time after its creation.
Payne was an Oklahoma runner who became the event’s most famous competitor. His victory helped connect the road with ideas of endurance, mobility, and national adventure. The race was organized by sports promoter C. C. Pyle, whose events attracted substantial newspaper attention and public interest.
The Bunion Derby is often described as a Route 66 race, although the course was not identical to every later alignment of the highway. Route 66 changed repeatedly as states straightened roads, built bypasses, and improved connections. The event’s importance lies chiefly in its promotion of the young highway and the communities along it.