Pershing Field (Reservoir Park), Jersey City, NJ, June 19, 1921
McGoldrick Field, Brooklyn, New York, NY, October 16, 1921
Van Cortlandt Park, New York, NY, November 12, 1921
The main events of the championships of the Metropolitan Association, or New York, took place in mid-June. Finnish-American Ville "Willie" Ritola, a carpenter from New York, strode to a commanding victory in the five-mile race, with the runner-up finishing a lap behind. The wolf from Peräseinäjoki ran at a brutal pace; a whopping seven competitors following him ran themselves into the ground so completely that they had to drop out.
In the same meet, Alan Helffrich powered to victory in the 880 yards. This same fellow would go on to hand Paavo Nurmi his only loss during the American tour four years later.
The still-used Pershing Field was named after General John J. Pershing, who commanded American troops in Europe during World War I. The sports field located in Paris was known as Pershing Stadium.
In late autumn, Ritola warmed up by winning the New York championships in both the 10-mile track race and cross-country. The runner-up in the 10-mile race finished over 500 yards behind—almost half a kilometer. In the cross-country event, the Finnish runners achieved a 1-2 sweep, with Ritola's teammate Ilmari Prim crossing the line more than half a minute later.
The Metropolitan throwing championship was decided in Long Island City, Queens, in September. The triathlon consisted of three events for formidable giants: the shot put, hammer throw, and weight throw. The all-round competition saw a showdown between experienced, Irish-born officers from the New York Police Department. Matthew McGrath, the 44-year-old hammer throw champion from the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, beat Patrick McDonald, the 42-year-old winner of the shot put and weight throw at the same Stockholm Games. McGrath also hurled the hammer to a world-leading result of 53.39 (175-2).
1-3 (Spalding’s Athletic Almanac)