I recently learned that in the early part of the 20th century the runners would dig their own holes to start out of. Sometimes they were even given trowels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starting_blocks

I wasn't sure if I could believe Wikipedia because it sounded a little crazy, but it's at least in a couple of books, too:

https://books.google.com/books?id=Mn7mCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA223&lpg=...

https://books.google.com/books?id=k0rCTsicBa8C&pg=PA145&lpg=...