NEW ZEALAND’S RUNNERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12395, 15 March 1926, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND’S RUNNERS

SCHOLZ AND HAHN ESTIMATE THEIR STRENGTH,

ROSE NOT REALLY EXTENDED

LEADBETTER, KYLE, JENKINS AMONG THE OUTSTANDING >

A review of their experiences in New Zealand, which they have travelled from end to end, war given yesterday by the American athletes, Scholz and Hahn, at the conclusion of their r.trenuous tour. They mentioned by name the most promising runners they met in New Zealand, and said in what way the Dominion athletes might improve.

(By Telegraph.—Special to “Tihes.”) AUCKLAND, March 14. When located in their hotel this morning, Scholz was in bed resting. He is a great believer in an athlete securing plenty of rest, “Every athlete in training ought to have ten hours 5 sleep, 55 he remarked. “Proper rest is a most essential thing in retaining one’s fitnesa.” “What is the general standard in amateur athletics here?” he repeated. “A good average standard, I guess, and JL think it will improve. There is no doubt you’ve got the material. For instance. Rose is about as good as they’ve got in any place in the world, and Leadbetter. Kyle, Jenkins, Taylor, and Williams are all good men, and also Cabot, a walker, in Dunedin. “Your New Zealand athletes have still a lot to learn, but any suggestions we made they seemed very keen to take up. Where they were previously jumping off the mark before the, gun, they are now holding their marks better.” “Wellington is very keen, and of the provincial centres Masterton has made good progress. The best starter we had was ‘Dorrie’ Leslie, of Wellington, and W. Trembnth, of Invercargill. ex-world’s professional quartermile champion, was also very good.” “My fastest run in New Zealand was at Gisborne,” said the champion, in reply to a question. “I was beaten by inches in 9 3-ssec. The finish was so close that the man who won touched the tape first, 'but I was coming so fast that it was I who broke it. I also did 9 4-ssec on seVeral occasions. My best time over 220 vards was 21 2-osec or 21 3-ssec, at Dunedin.” Hahn here put in an appearance, and answered a similar question by referring to his quarter-mile in 50 4-osec at Ashburton. “But the weather was all against record-break-ing,” he observed, and Scholz backed up his observation. “I was running quarters as well as I could have expected, but I didn’t run the miles as I should have done. A man couldn’t really get fit. Both Jackson and I have been carrying too much weight,

and we couldn’t get it That’s what licked me—too much weight,” Scholz then took up the conversation. “I am seven pounds heavier than I have ever been in my life, but, say, I guess you’ve got a great climate here!” Asked how he thought Rose would fare in a contest with Nurmi, Scholz replied, “I don’t think he is good enough yet for Nurmi. Still, one never can tell, and ultimately, with training and experience, I think he would give him a good go. Nurmi has never been really extended, and much the same applies to Rose. Yes, Ritola v. Rose would be a much better race for a start.” It is interesting to' note that Scholz, who ranks as the world’s Olympic champion over 220 yards, has very definite ideas how this should be run. “I don’t think anyone going all out from the start can keep up the same pace all the way to the tape. My idea is to finish in the last 50 yards, and even in scratch races I may be trailing the field half-way down?” Asked to specify some points of their running on which New Zealanders could imxnove, Scholz replied: “Many of them don’t train long enough, they take is seriously enough, but are often content with two weeks’ preparation, two months, perhaps are needed. They could pay more attention to details such as warming up before a race, and wearing clothes to keep warm before the start of events in which they are competing. The question of starting I have already referred to.” * Scholz is a member of the New York Amateur Athletio Club, one of tho largest athletio organisations in the world. This club has 7000 members, and a waiting list of 2000. It has just bought a site for 4J million dollars, and intends to erect club headquarters on it at a total cost of from eight to ten million dollars. Winter indoor athletics are a bigger thing in the States than outdoor summer athletics. More people go to them, and a couple of weeks, before a big indoor meeting it is impossible to get a seat.