Two-Mile Race World Class

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30981, 10 February 1966, Page 15

Two-Mile Race World Class

f \s3Ocianon--Copvrtohr) LOS ANGELES. The New Zealand distance runners. J. L. Davies and W. D. Baillie, said yesterday that strategy would be as important as speed in the mile and twomile races in the Los Angeles indoor games on Saturday.

Davies said both he and Jim Grelle, who heads the United States contingent in the mile, both liked man-for-man competition more than racing against the clock. "I have no idea how the race will be run,” Davies said. “I will have to play it as it comes.” But with such outstanding milers as J. Cainien of Kansas, B. Clifford, of Ireland, and the schoolboy sensation. R. Riley, of Spokane, in the competition. Davies admitted it w'ould take an outstanding effort to win. Baillie said he had been lengthening out to races of six miles and the marathon

but felt the two-inile helped sharpen him for longer races. With R. Clarke (Australia), Kipchoge Keino (Kenya). R. Day (United States), and V. Kudinsky (Russia), in the race, Baillie said it would be a question of early speed and sustained pace as to who would be the victor. Baillie said that the eightminute barrier in the twomile would be broken eventually and he felt that Keino might be the man to do it. “Judging from recent performances, I would say that we are not too far from the eight-minute mark,” Baillie said. “Keino raced a 7min 39.65ec race for 3000 metres which is somewhere between Smin lOsec and Bmin 15sec for two miles.”