Athletics of To-Day 1929

CHAPTER Ill THE EvENT Sui Generis-440 YARDS THE first generation of British athletes to enjoy chances of championship competition gave the technical title of sprinting to the running of such short distances as a man might cover at top speed in one continuous sprint. They considered the limit of sprinting distance to be 300 yards, and regarded the quarter mile as something s1ti generis and distinct from sprint– ing. The first two English championships at a quarter mile were won by J. H. Ridley, a remarkable schoolboy from Eton, who return d 52! secs. for hi title in I 67. In the following year hew nt up to Jesus oil ge, ambri g , and won the Oxford and ambridge quarter in SI s cs., a time which was b ttered a few weeks later by E. J. olb ck of the L.A.C., who won the English hampion hip in so~ s cs. olb ck was a v ry tall and h avily built f llow. He ran with eh st up and head back, but was not quite in th first lass of sprint rs, as wa proved in his races at hort r distances with A. J. aker, L.A. ., who won the IOO yards titl in I 70. olbeck ow d his success mainly to his trem ndous stride and his great strength. He is one of the great figur s of athletic hi tory, whose xploits hould be known to the young r g n ration. n the ft rnoon of the English .hampion hips at the old eaufort Hou e ground in I8 , olbeck ran a brilliant IOO yard against the winner, W. M. T nn nt, put up a new r cord of 2 mins. 2 secs. f r the half-mile, an al o ran an epic quarter mil . In the latt r race h 1 d 11th way from start to finish, but cannoned into a she p which had trayed on to the track, broke the animal's leg, an y t fini hed first in 56