Andy Payne Memorial Statue

If you ever find yourself road-tripping on Route 66, keep your itinerary on track for the Andy Payne Memorial Statue in Foyil, Oklahoma: a bronze figure of a man frozen mid-stride, forever running toward greatness. The statue commemorates Andy Payne, hometown hero, Bunion Derby champ, and proof that sometimes the underdog really does win… even if it takes 3,423.3 miles to do it.

Andy Payne was a 20-year-old Cherokee farm boy with zero professional training when he signed up for the Great Transcontinental Footrace (which later came to be known as the “Bunion Derby”) in 1928. The course stretched from Los Angeles to New York City and followed the fresh-paved path of Route 66 from California to St. Louis before veering off east.

Nearly 300 runners started the race, and after 84 grueling days, only 55 crossed the finish line, with Andy in the lead. He ran through deserts, dodged fevers, outpaced Olympic athletes, and was cheered like a rockstar when he crossed into Oklahoma. Schools let out early, shops closed, and even Will Rogers tipped his hat as Andy made his way to victory.

With his $25,000 prize (that’s more than $400,000 today!), Andy paid off his family farm’s mortgage, built a house, and even bought some land.

Andy hung up his racing shoes after the Derby, but he didn’t slow down. He served as the Clerk of the Oklahoma Supreme Court for nearly four decades. He passed away in 1977, but Foyil made sure his legacy lived on.

Today, you can visit the Andy Payne Memorial Statue, a life-size bronze sculpture by artist John Free of Pawhuska. Unveiled in 1992 and dedicated in 1998, the statue stands on the south side of Foyil, just east of Route 66. It’s a quiet tribute to a determined young man who outran the odds and quite literally ran himself into the history books.

Photos of Andy Payne Memorial Statue in Foyil, Oklahoma