ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13316, 24 October 1906, Page 4

ATHLETICS.

It is estimated that 270,000 people witnessed the " Marathon" race at Athens— 150,000 spectators on the road, 80,000 in the Stadion, and 40,000 on the hills surrounding tho Stadion. / During the last few weeks prior to the departure of the.English mail, A. J. Robertson, of Peterborough, had twico beaten F. H. Hulford, the English four miles champion, over a distance of ground—three miles at Eastbourne was tho latest event. Robertson is greatly fancied for the next four miles English championship. Maxim Whittingham, the American pedestrian, who has recently arrived in Melbourne, wishes to race tho winner of the Postle-Day match over three distances. The American correspondent of the Sydney Referee in his last I letter says that O'Brien was all packed up for a trip to Australia to meet Squires by the Sierra when he received and accepted an offer of a £4000 purse to box T. Burns at Arcadia, near Los Angeles. O'Brien and Burns are to sign for a forty-round contest, and it will be for the world's championship, according to the Arcadians. The handicaps for the "Wren Five Hundred" race, to be run on the Exhibition's oval, Melbourne, on November 3, 6, 10, and 12, are out. A. B. Postle (Queensland), B. R. Day (England), and N. Whittingham (America) are on the scratch mark. W. Robinson (New Zealand) is on the 7iyds mark: D. Dodds (New Zealand) has Byds, and J. Currie (New Zealand) Biyds.