LOVELOCK’S GREAT MILE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19248, 30 July 1932, Page 14

LOVELOCK’S GREAT MILE

PACEMAKER PLAYED BIG PART How the Race Was Run Among the series of magnificent individual performanoes at the match between the Dark Blues and the A.A.A. at Oxford was the extraordinary record mile run by J. E. Lovelock, the young ’Varsity athlete whom I have mentioned several times as one likely to make good, says Joe Binks in “News of the World.” “Only a week ago I was disappointed at Lovelock’s failure to respond to Corne’s encouragement to get second in the Inter-’Varsity mile, but Helps beat him at the finish. Lovelock told me afterwards that he was not feeling too well and was sick after the run. “Now, however, he felt good. He thought it was time Oxford won something, and decided upon a ‘make or break’ mile. He had 4min 18 sec in his mind. “He asked his team mate, M. J. Alberry to ‘run like blazes' from the start, and take him along at a fast pace. This Alberry did at quartermile pace. and. completing that distance in 57 2-ssec, he tore on and on, but 600 yards or so Alburry had to slacken up. “Lovelock took up the pace as fast as ever, and did the half-mile in 2min 2sec. Continuing with tremendous dash and fire, Lovelock drew right away from J. W. Winfield and L. A. Harris, two experienced runners. Watoh in Trembling Hands. “Lovelock passed the three-quarter mile post in 3min 13 sec, and everybody was thrilled. Bill Thomas, the coach, was holding his watch with hands trembling with excitement, and tried to tell us that it was only 4min when Lovelock was less than 100 yards from heme. Other “holders” thought their watches had gone wrong. “Despite tiring a little, Lovelock broke the tape amid much excitement, i for, apart from the watch, it was plain to see that he had accomplished something big. “Official watchholders varied a trifle. but most of them showed inside 4min 12sec. Giving the slowest watch the time was recorded as 4 min 12sec. so Lovelock had accomplished the fastest mile ever run in Errand ancf broke ; W. G. George’s world-famous record mile of 4min 12Ssec in 1886. “On congratulating Lovelock I noticed that he was little the worse for wear, and felt pleased that the had had wear, and felt pleased that he had had at that moment realised the magnitude of his effort. “J. G. Cornes, the popular Oxford president, took a long time to feel normal after Lovelock’s amazing effort. Cornes has been taking great interest in the running of his pal. Jack.”

Olympic Champion: That Percy Williams, the present Olympic sprint title-holder, will again be a force to /be reckoned with, was evidenced on Saturday, when he won j an event of 100 metres in 10 3-ss, l-5s I faster than his winning time at AmI sterdam four years ago. George Simpson, well known to New Zealanders, is ; also in form as he also broke the 1 Olympic record for 200 metres by j covering the distance in 21 l-ss. ; About 25,000 apricot trees have lately j been planted in the Canton of Valais j in Switzerland. It is the most shel- ; tered part of the whole country and j has the highest all-the-year-round temperature. The apricot harvest for 1930 was estimated at over a thousand tons.