There were only two teams entered, the New York Athletic Club and the Chicago Athletic Association. This was the last event of the Games and the team trophy for high scoring American club also hinged on its outcome. Arthur Newton jumped into the lead immediately and opened space on the pack quickly. After one mile he led by about thirty yards, with Jim Lightbody leading the pack in second place. In the next two miles Newton lapped both Sidney Hatch and Albert Coray, and held a lead of 200 yards over Lightbody. In the last mile, Newton did nothing but stretch out his lead to win very easily, with the description in the Chicago Tribune noting that he lapped all the other runners. Per St. Louis newspapers, Lightbody finished second and Verner third, although the Chicago Tribune had Verner second and Lightbody third, although that had no effect on the team outcome. Chicago finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, but the 9th and 10th place finishes of Coray and Hatch cost them the race, 27-28, and the overall team trophy.