PEDESTRIANISM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2593, 17 July 1876, Page 3

PEDESTRIANISM.

A matoh for £25 aside between W. Dolaney and Young Gleoaon oame off on Saturday last on Latimer square. Tho conditions were to the offeot that Dolaney should run ten miles and Gleeaon walk seven, tbe one who completed his distanoo first being declared tho winner. The course waa in very had order for a pedestrian contest;, not only from its generally wet oondition, but alao from tho existence of sundry large pools of wator and the unevenneßa of the grass. These drawbacks necessarily prevented n good "time" performance by either man, but operated more againat Gleeaon than Delanoy, Iho courae waa indeed wrotohed for walking, and no one expeoted that Gleeaon would perform co well upon it as ho did. The men started about halt-pint throo o'olook, and Dolaney went to tho fore at a modorato paoe. In the seoond milo he fell off considerably, and by tho time he bad > gone little more than half way he ran very stiff and heavy. His style did not appear to have altered sinoe ho last ran here, but ho carried too muoh flosh for a ten mile oontost. Gloeson's walking was exceedingly deceptive. He appeared to oommenoo very slow, and during the first milo or two it was generally Srophosiod that he would nofc livo holf tho istanoe, but ho got over the ground quiokor than the spectators thought, and proved to have any amount of staying powers. Ho is not well built, haa a short stride, aud a most poouliar stylo of going. His aotion from tho waist downwards is vory stiff, and he ha? a sidelong motion, especially during a spurt, whioh does not oroato a favourable impression. His performance on Saturday is, howevor, good evidence that on a proper ground ho oould do what hia frienda aay — walk seven milos within tho hour. No official timo-keopor was appointed for tho raoe, but tho lapa wereoounted by Mr Proaßor, of Wellington, and ohookod by Bevoral othora. Those who managod affairs wero ovidontly ignorant of tho fact that tho course on Latimer squaro is eleven yards short of a quarter of a mile in oiroumference, and thoy only reckoned four lops to the mile, consequently, in tho time given below, eaoh socalled mile must bo considered an forty-four yards short of that distance. Tho following shows the lime made by oaoh mon .—Gleeaon, flrat milo, Srainj second, 17minj third, 26min ISaeos; fourth, 35a»in SOseos; fifth, 45min; sixth, 54min 25aeos ; seventh, 64a»in;

Delaney— First mile, Smin 30seoS ? second, llmiu 45ieos) third, 18min20seos> fourth, 26mini fifth, 3lmin6osecs} sixth, Bßminsoseosj seventh, 46min 4Sseos j eighth, Bfcmin 60seos > ninth, 60min j nine and a half, 68mia 46seos. It will thus bo seen that Gleoaon completed hia seven milos witbin fifteen seconds of the time whioh it took Delanoy to run nine and a half milos. Gleoaon aooordingly won by nearly half a milo. Ho was warmly applauded when he finished, and this was no more tban he deserved, when fche exoeodingly bad stato of the ground is considered.