Athletics

7° ATHLETICS. latter distance; but don't forget the preliminary sprints— train witha view to excelling in the last forty yards of your race, and you will find the pace with which these short sprints endow you invaluable whenit comes to the pinch. It is difficult when writing on athletics to keep away from the first person singular, but were I asked to account for the successes I may have met with on the path, I should without hesitation assert that they were all due to being faster atthe finish; not that I lasted better thanother men, but that when running longer distances I never neglected my sprinting practice. MIDDLE-DISTANCE RUNNING. By the Rev. W. Pollock-Hill, The President OxfordUniversity AthleticClub, 1889-90; Winner ofthe Inter-'Varsity Mile (4min. 2if sees.), 1890, and Three Miles, 1889-90; Holder of the1000 Yards BritishRecord (2 min. I5i sees.), and Inter-'Varsity MileRecord (4 min.2i§ sees.), 1890. The term "middle distance" is applied to distances of from 880 yards .to ne mileinclusive. As, however, I believe the half-mile will be treated ofin another article, I willtake up the running from beyond thatdistance. The numerous races of late years at distances of 1000 yards and three-quarters of a mile, have made it worth while the attention of the half-miler and miler to accom­ modate their training to these intermediate distances. In the case of the half-miler it is his staying power he must try and bring out—while the miler must do his best to put on more pace throughout. If we were to inquire the reason for the popularity of these distances, we should probably find that in the first few instances they were introduced as level races between men whose capabilities wereknown