Athletic Training

146 ATHLETIC TRAINING theory that it is_best to start the race with a man who can hand over a lead to a slightly slower runner. If the slower man gets the start he will not be bothered with ;having to fight his way through a number of runners, and the chances are that he and his successor, who is likely to be a man of about the same speed, can give their last runner at least an even start. It frequently happens that it is a good thing to put the fastest man on the third relay to run his opponents off their feet and give the last man a substantial lead. One of the most common mistakes relay runners make is that of starting off with too great speed, particularly if an opponent has been given a slight start. A relay runner, above all others, should be a good judge of pace. In particular, he should avoid running himself off his feet in the first 200 yards. The excitement of the race will probably carry him a little faster than he has been accus– tomed to run, but he should take care that it be not at a 100-yard pace, and he should re– member that it is not necessary to overtake his man within the first 150 yards. I have seen a great many races lost because one of