Athletics and Football (extract)

RUNNING AND RUNNERS be champion, for it was then that E. J. Colbeck appeared in his best form. Colbeck is one of the first great figures that stand out in the historyof amateur athletics. Few could beat him at 100 yards, while from 220 yards to half a mile no one was in the hunt with him. He was a tall, strongly-built man, with a tremendous natural stride, to which and to his strength he owed his remarkable success. Unfortunately, he, too, like W. P. Phillips, whoseperformances in some sense recall those of Colbeck, wasdoomed to find an earlygrave. The tale of Colbeck's celebrated quarter-mileat the championship meeting at the old BeaufortHouse grounds in 1868 is one that has been often told. Coming alongat a great pace, he led all the way round the ground, and was winning easily when a wandering sheep found its way upon the path and stopped still there, being presumablyamazed at the remarkableperformancewhich the runner wasaccomplishing. The athlete cannoned against the sheep, broke its leg, and then went on and finished his quarter in 50I seconds. This time was never equalled until J. Shearman in 1877 covered the distance in exactly the same time at Lillie Bridge,and was never surpassed in England by an amateur until Myerspaid his first visit to England in 1881. Since that time Myers has shownwhat can be done by running a Quarter-milehandicap at LillieBridge in 48^ seconds, and since 1881 several English amateurs have shown themselvescapable of beating 50 seconds. Probably,what might have been learnt from Colbeck, and what was not really learnt by English amateurs until Myers put the Englishmen to shame, wasthat it is possible for an amateur to make a sprint of a quarter-mile and rush at full speed over the wholedistance. However,none of the subsequent times can take awayfrom Colbeck the honour of havingmade a record {and certainlyunder unfavourablecir­ cumstances)which stood its ground for thirteen yearsduring times when everyother record made byColbeck's contempo­ raries had been long since surpassed and forgotten. Further­ more, it is evident that Colbeck was by no means rendered hors de combat by his wonderful performance,for upon the same