Footrace Photo Finish?

A photo of sporting events or competitions for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.

Two runners end (or begin?) their footrace in a blur of motion as they cross a finish line (starting line?) marked by a long branch held up over their heads by two young men. It's unclear whether the runners are beginning or ending their race since the guy at far left is holding the branch with one hand while his other hand is pointing what may be a starting pistol straight up in the air.

Another fellow on the left is holding a round object that looks like a large alarm clock, which he may be using--or pretending to use--to time the race. He seems to be peering down the road as if he expects to see more runners show up in the distance (that's one reason why I assumed at first that this must be the end of a race).

Curiously, a bucket and a glass bottle with unknown contents are visible along the roadway (you can see them in the background between the two runners), and there's also a bucket at the feet of a guy on the right who's holding a cloth of some sort.

This is an unused real photo postcard, and there's nothing on it to indicate where or when this race took place. For a better view of some of the details, mouse over the image above to see a cropped version of the photo.