Athletics of To-Day 1929

The Distances-2 to 1 o Miles 93 great champions as W. G. George, B. R. Wise, O.U.A.C., and W. Snook. There is also that splendid light-weight, C. H. Mason, who won the English mile of r872 in 4 mins. 42! secs. and the newly instituted A.A.A. ten miles of r879 in 56 mins. 3Ii secs., reducing that time a year later to 56 mins. 7 secs. Mr. Mason, however, may be best remembered by future genera– tions as the founder of the Public Schools Championships, which he started in r8go by the presentation of a 440 yards challenge cup to be competed for annually by public school boys. W. G. George, is best remembered for his one mile world's record of 4 mins. rz! secs., but from r87gto r884, when his career as an amateur ended, he had only two serious rivals on the track from one mile to ten miles and over, for he took the English one mile four times, the four miles four times, and the ten miles twice. B. R . Wise, was tall and slight and did very light training. He was, I think, lucky to catchGeorge just after an illness when he beat him in th English mile of r88r, and George was again off colour when W. Snook, of Shrewsbury, took all three English titles in r885. Snook was a stronger man than Wise and a more dangerous opponent to George. He was short and thick-set and had terrific legs, shoulders, and chest, and he covered a great deal of ground by copying eorge's style of shooting the legs straight out from the hips. He was but little inferior to George, but beat him only on the occasions above mentioned. F. E. Bacon, formerly a private soldier in a line regiment, who won the English four miles of r894 in rg mins. 48! secs. from G. Crossland, Manchester, with whom he indulged in conversation on the way, was a very tall, thin man with an amazing turn of speed. J. Kibbl whit , of Swindon, like Bacon, good for any distance from one mile to ten miles, won six championships by his strength and pluck. Then came the great Sid Thomas of the L.A.C., . E. Willers, Essex Beagles, and C. Pearc , Birchfield Harriers. Thomas, a pretty runner with a high springy action, broke records from one-and-half to five miles. He won his first