Classic Mile.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 261, 4 November 1933, Page 6 (Supplement)

Classic Mile.

New Type of Race.—Development of Recent Years.

ls T ot since the days of A. A. Shrubb, W. G. George, and Nurmi's earlier efforts has there boon such wide and intense interest in mile running. The distance, easily gauged and known by all followers of the track game, has seen some of the greatest athletes of all time endeavouring to record a standard to withstand the test of the Years.

At the beginning of the present century Shrubb was regarded as a marvel, and his times were considered as being almost unbeatable. And so they proved to be for some years. Shrubb, however, was an athlete of almost similar stamp to his successor, Xurmi, in that he was at h'i best in three, six. and ten-mile events, and only concentrated on the mile on rare occasions for a. time effort. A, G. Hill, of England, was an athlete between these two runners, and he was tho first man to seriously get down to an even lap-time schedule. His great trainer, Sam Mussabini, was a firm believer in this style of racing, and had the satisfaction of seeing his pupil record 4.12 4-5 for the distance and win an Olympic title. There is no doubt but that the Finnish marvel Xiirmi could have bettered his 4.10 2-5 when he set a new world's mark, as he only decided to reduce the existing figures, and then went back to his n-reater love, the longer distances. The next comet to flash across the athletic horizon was the Frenchman. Jules Ladoumegue, who sprang into instant fame by lowering the mile time to 4.0 1-5, and bringing the time back nearer to the four-minute mark, than had hitherto been thought humanly possible. |

But if one human can establish a record, another can break it by the application of a little judgment and ability. All over the world athletes began to appear who laughed at the "good" miles at around 4.20, and began to bettor these times with ease. New Zealand's own Randolph Rose established, and still holds, the world's grass track record of 4.13 4-' i, when, he raced the U.S.A. champion, Lloyd Halm. In America George Venzke and Ray Conger approached 4.14 on several occasions, and then Ralph Hill, who was later to be narrowly defeated by Lchtinen in the Olympic 3000-metre race, raced Rufus Riser at Seattle and recorded 4.12 to win.

..„,-, in iMicrianfl _.. H. Thomas several times had 4.15 to his credit, and looked to he able to better this time. Ho is the runner, along with Jimmy Conies, who has matched the New Zealandor,' Lovelock, and has drawn out the best ill him in many stirring contests. The advent of the 1032 Olympics, saw gathered together, with the' regrettable exceptions of Nurmi and Ladoum'egue, the greatest collection of milers the world has seen. They contested the IuOO metres race. Lovelock set the pace a hard one in the early stages, followed by that great dusky athlete, Phil Edwards. Ny, of Sweden, challenged and held the * lead to bo soon displaced by Glenn Cunningham, of Kansas. This last-named athlete is still considered by mainjudges to be capable of a world's mark. Purjie," of Finland, was well up. • Lovelock was dropping back in third place with the newcomer Luigi B, -alii running in fifth position. When the last lap was entered upon Phil Edwards challenged Cunningham, and passed him on the back stretch. Then right up from the ruck came the black-haired, Milan city employee, Beccali, and Comes, of England. Into the turn they raced, Edwards and Cunningham still in the lead, but with the Englishman and Italian coming like the wind. A hundred yards from the finish Becalli started his drive for the tape and gradually the fiery Fascist]' liver,! wore down the field and took the lead! Cornes was after him and made a des- ' perate bid for victory, but Becali: blazed forth with a new burst of i and won by two yards to establish a new Olympic record. Edwards was third, with Cunningham in fourth position. Lovelock faded in this race.

It is world's history now how Lovelock set a new world's mark at Princeton when he recorded 4.7 3-5, but the oreat interest of the day is to the fSture rivalry of the New Zealander and the Italian, Becalli.

Becalli, who defeated Lovelock at Milan last week and equalled the world's record for 1500 metres, is 25 years of age. He has been running for eight years and can do anything from 1500 metres to 5000, but prefers the shorter route. He works for the city of Milan as a superintendent of street construction, and is a slender-built man, possessing a marvellous stride. He runs with a swinging, easy stride, and generally shows no signs of labour, moving along very smartly. His sprint at the finish is right out of the box and is more of a rush than a finish, as Lovelock evidently found out recently.

There is still one great miler who can race the best of them, and that is Purgie, of Finland. This runner has unlimited ability and runs in a peculiar manner. Commencing fast he runs without any slackening of speed the full distance. He had one great asset. When he goes to pass a man he sprints for fully 50 yards up to and well past his opponent, and then settles down again to his old fast clip without any apparent effort. This may happen four or five times in a Mce and proves his amazing vitality. He runs in the orthodox Scan-

dinavian fashion by keeping his hands well up, shoulders back and chest up. The evolution of, the quarter-mile runner from the hard-sprinting furlong ranks, the half-miler from the slow first lap, and hard finish type to the now "two-fast quarter" type—this development has seen the plodding miler and the bunched-field-sprint-down-the-straight class of race, change into a fast and furious combat with a new type of athlete practically running four "consecutive quarter-miles to a scheduled time. Endurance is highly desirable, but now the old saying, ''that it's not the distance but the pace that kills," is very evident, and no runner without a firstclass turn of speed can hope for success. Lovelock's ambition to run four even quarter-miles of 00 seconds each will be copied by Purgie, Becalli, Cunningham, Hill, Thomas, Cornes and his wonderful opponent. Bonthron. Unfolding before us is a period of record-breaking performances to stir the ambitions and the blood of athletes \ throughout the world. . The men are perhaps, just the same, but the methods are different. Proof of this is evident when most record-breakers of to-day establish their times, and are often surprised at their own effort, as seldom do they feel badly" exhausted on reaching the tape. Scientific coaching, better tracks, common sense and. above all. more intense competition with a high level of opponents has brought track mile racing to a wonderfully high level of human endeavour.