Athletics of To-Day 1929

Athletics of To-day respectively. But :after 1864 the Steeplechase was aban– doned in favour of a 2 mile fiat race, which was itself replaced by the present distance race of 3 miles in 1868. In 1879, as noted elsewhere, two English Championship Meetings were held, and at the summer fixture, promoted by the L.A.C., a Steeplechase was included in the programme. Up to 1913 the conditions of competition and the distance of the race varied so that no useful guide to merit is supplied by the times recorded. Among many famous athlete;.) who won Steeplechase titles, however, must be reckoned W. Snook, 1884 and 1885; A. B. George, brother of the great tt W.G.," 1894, and G. W. Orton, New York A.C., 1898. From 1913 onwards the championship steeplechases of two miles have been held at tamford Bridge; the course comprises eight laps, and includes thirty-two 3 ft. hurdle jumps, and eight water jumps. Among the post-War winners have been Percy Hodge, Surrey A. ., who held the title from 1913 to 1921, was beaten by Paavo urmi, Finland, in 1922, and regained the title in 1924. H gained also lympic honours in 1920. Hodge was a slight, pale-faced, and red-headed fellow, with so ungainly a gait that the for ign coaches, when they first saw him at Antw rp in 1920, declared that they had never seen a man with so many running faults travel at such a speed. I knew Hodge well in those days; he was a versatile humorist, and it is my opinion that half of his bad style was a cultivated mannerism to amuse the crowd. This was certainly so with his fantastic interchangeable styles of hurdling, and nothing pleased him better than to be allowed to stage an exhibition. His great stunt consisted of running over a series of fences with a bottle of beer and a glass balanced on a tray. It was an extra– ordinarily difficult feat to perform, but I never r member Hodge upsetting his load. In 1900 and 1904 the Olympic Steeplechase was at 2,500 metr s, and in 1908 at 3,200 metres. In 1920 the distance was standardized at 3,000 metres (1 mile 1,520 yards 2 f et), and Hodge walked away with the race in 10 mins. 2i secs. The time would have been much faster, but Hodge never heard the lap