Athletics of To-Day 1929

CHAPTER IV THE SHORT MIDDLE DISTANCES-6oo TO I,ooo YARDS THE short middle distance races are 6oo yards, 8oo metres (874 yards 32 ins.), 88o yards and I,ooo yards, but of these only the 8oo metres and the 88o yards are reckoned as championship distances. At the institution of the English Championships in I866 the late P. M. Thornton, .U.A. ., won the half mile in 2 mins. 5 secs., and" even time" was never beaten by an Englishman until in I882 W. G. George (No. 6, Plate I2) returned I min. 58! secs. In the following year, W. Birkett, of the London A. ., still further reduced the time to I min. 58 secs., and in I895, wh n the L.A. . competed against the w York A. . in ew York, . L. I ilpatrick, of the American lub, estab– lished the startling record of I min. 53! secs. The London Club was distinctly unlucky through the circumstance that E. C. Bredin was unable to make the journey to the Stat s. For some curious r ason the half mile was not included in the Oxford and ambridg ports programme until I 99, when H. raham, J us, ambridge, won in I min. 59! secs. In the four-and-tw nty rac that hav since b n run only six winn rs hav f il to b at 2 mins., and among the winners hav b en two of Britain' b t m n, E. . Mountain, Corpus, ambridg , and D. G. A. Low , P mbrok , ambridge. The Int r-University r cord, I min. 54 secs., wa made by K. Cornwallis, University oil g , xford, in I904. n Am rica half mil cham ionships were instituted in I8J6, H. Lamb , of Toronto, winning the ational titl in 2 mins. IO s cs., and R. W. Gr en, Princeton, taking the Inter-Collegiate 68