Athletics (British Sports Library)

RELAY RACING 125 temptation is yielded to there is a fine chance that the man will run himself off his feet in the first 200 yards. It should be remembered that it is not necessary to overtake the lead runners in the first 150 yards of a relay. A fruitful source of disqualification is the ten– dency of runners waiting at the rear of the 20 yards zone to step back over the line to receive the baton. It is better to wait a little in advance of the rear 10-yard line than to risk crossing it in one's anxiety to relieve the incoming runner. The crouch start has been already described in the chapter on sprinting. It is necessary to re– member, however, that the first relay holds the baton in his left hand. He must, therefo_re, exercise a little ingenuity to get the full support from the tripod finger-spread. Most runners favour the gripping of the baton in the fork between the thumb and forefinger, but athletes whose fingers are short will find it more convenient to rest only the first and fourth finger upon the track, thus allowing the two middle fingers to support the baton with a firm grip. This method has one grave disadvantage, in that the forward disposition of the runner's weight mainly rests, as he crouches, upon the right hand, which may result in his coming out of the holes slightly lop-sided. Whether a stationary start or running start is