Athletics and Football (extract)

ATHLETIC MEETINGS 20I direction. The systemin shorter races is to handicap by giving so many yards start, but in the longer races,whether of walking or running, the competitors often have so many seconds start of the scratch man allotted to them. A novelty in the way of handicapping was introduced in a cross-country race by the Thames Hare and Hounds Club some years ago, the runners all starting together, but beinghandicapped, in horse-racingstyle, by the apportionment of differentamounts ofweight,each runner beingallowed to carryhis weight in any way he chose. The novelty, however,was hardlya success, the runners who were heavily weighted (the top weight carried,we believe,14 lbs.) makingmost ungainlyefforts,and the result wouldseem to show that man, as a running animal, is not able to carry anything more than his own weight with ease and elegance. We do not anti­ cipate any change, therefore, in the old and received system of handicapping for man-racing. The advantagesof givingup a club meeting to the handicap- runners have been much questioned, and there can be little doubt that the rapid increaseof handicapswas a necessarystep towards the popularisation of athletic sports with the runners themselves. To make all open races level no doubt not only encouraged £ pot-hunting,' but prevented those who were not reallyfirst class from taking part in races at all, as they would naturallyobject to form part of a procession at every meeting. Undoubtedly, also, there are many 'cracks' who werefirst encouraged to come upon the path by handicap prizes,and who have gone gradually down in the handicap scale until they have found themselvesgood enough to compete in level races or championship's. The club treasurer, too, often feels that he cannot do without the handicaps, for whilea levelsprint might only produce four entries, i.e. four half-crowns, a sprint handi­ cap might well produce eighty entries, i.e. eighty half-crowns, and there is a vast deal of differencebetween ten shillings and ten pounds of entrance fees. In the days, too, whenthere was somethingof a noveltyand a pleasingsurprise for any man to find himselfa runner at all, the friends, sisters,cousins, and aunts of