ATHLETICS Who Will Achieve The Four-Minute Mile ?

Grey River Argus, 22 March 1947, Page 6

ATHLETICS Who Will Achieve The Four-Minute Mile ?

Swedish Runners Hold 7 Of 10 Fastest Times

Perhaps the most remarkable athletics in recent years has been at the mile from the United States the United States was undoubtedly tn n ce. Cunningham, Bonthron, San world renowned for their prowess challenged only by J. E. Lovelock fastest miles ever run up to 1940, and Cunningham held the official with 4min 6 4-ssec from 1934 up in 1937.

change in international track and the passing of general oupremac to Sweden, for before the wai the dominant nation at is Romani, Lash, and l ens Q over this distance, being se and S. C. Wooderson. . . seven had been run by world’s record foi ti ‘ to Wooderson’s beating this time

SWEDES PREDOMI NATE

Now, however, the position is completely changed, and if one examines a list of the ten fastest one-mile runners up to 1946, it will be found that Swedish runners are responsible for seven of them while only two Americans ranked eighth and ninth, appear in the table. Possibly even more surprising is the fact that, not only have the Swedes wrested supremacy from the Americans, but have also set an entirely new standard in mile running, having established records which have brought the much-discussed fourminute mile within reaching distance.

Between 1942 and 1946 ten Swedish athletes returned times better than 4min lOsec for the mile, five of these ten being inside 4min ssec. In one year alone—l 94—no fewer than 57 Swedes beat four minutes' for 1500 metres, a distance some 120 yards short of the mile, and for which a time of four minutes is about the equivalent of a mile in min 171 sec. Only 20 British athletes have ever beaten that time for the mile. THE SUPREME HAEGCistanding supreme above all of them, however, was G. Haegg, maker in all of fifteen official world’s records over seven various distances ranging from 1500 metres to 5000 metres, all within the four years 1941-45 and his arch-rival, A. Anderson, who, apart from setting up five world records himself, broke several others in races in which he finished second to Haegg.

Almost unquestionably these two athletes would already have accomplished a four-minute mile, but for the error, made in each of their two attempts at Malmo on July 18, 1944, and July 17, 1945, of running Hie first half-mile much 100 fast.

It has been generally agreed by most experts, that the soundest method of achieving the four-minute mile is to balance one’s pace throughout the whole race, so as to cover the first 880yds and the second in as near to equal times as possible. If one bears this in mind an analysis of the two races at Malmo becomes most interesting. Anderson won the first encounter in 4min 1 3-5 seconds and Haegg the second in 4min 1 2-ssec. Both times were accepted as world’s records, and the following is a table showing the intermediate times returned in each race:—

in each race the first quarteinjile was undoubtedly run too fast the subsequent result being that the half-mile, esepcially in Anderson’s case, was reached in a time which would do justice to many an aspirant who specialises at the distance. Such a tremendous pace could not be kept up even by these two, and each paid the penalty in the second half of the race.

By comparing their two consecutive 880 yards one gets an even clearer picture of just how much the too-fast beginning had sapped their strength. In Anderson’s run the first half took Imin 56.75ec, and the second 2'min 04.9 sec, a difference of B.2sec,, while in Haegg’s effort, although the deviation from balance was' hardly as marked, it was nevertheless too great, the first half taking Imin 58.5 sec, and the second 2min 02.9 sec. One can certainly claim that had the pace in each case been more even throughout the winners would have reached the tape in just about four minutes. HUMAN ELEMENT In analysing races in this manned one is apt to regard the runner as an automaton, thus not taking into consideration sufficiently the human element, which cannot be overlooked when assessing the causes that prevented an even greater record being accomplished at Malmo. It must be realised that men are not machines, and in all probability the too-fast start was due more than anything to overeagerness, which is experienced by the most ordinary performer in comparatively unimportant ‘ events, let alone in two such races as those under review. THE 240 SEC. MILE When Anderson made his record of 4min 01.6 sec, Haegg finished second in 4mih 02.0 sec, R. Gustafsson third in 4min 06.8 sec while when Haegg lowered the record to 4min 01.4 sec, Anderson did 4min 04.4 sec, and Isberg, though only fifth, 4min ssec. With such terrific competition it was little wonder that overeagerness ruled and recordbreaking tactics were thrown to the winds in an internecine struggle waged from pillar to post.

How near, in spite of everything, these two wonderful runners came to achieving a 240-second mile can best be judged by realising that 01.4 seconds, the time by which Haegg was short represents approximately a bare ten yards, while in Anderson’s ’case, only some eleven yards still remained to be covered when the watch showed four minutes. <s>♦ •»

Intermediate times Anderson Ilaegg Progressive laps Min. Sec. Min. Sec. 440 yards 57.1 56.6 880 yards 1 5G.7 1 58.5 1320 yards 2 59.6 2 59.7 One mile 4 01.6 4 01.4 Per lap 1st. 440yds 57.1 56.6 2nd. 440yds. 59.6 61.9 3rd. 440yds 62.9 61.2 4th. 440yds 62.0 61.7 These figures show clearly how