Bredin on Running & Training

I 16 RUNNING AND TRAINING. reappearance in athletic contests during May, '92, and I have little doubt that this complete rest from train– ing was of the utmost benefit with regard to my subsequent career on the cinder-path. At Yeovil Sports, in Somersetshire, I once found myself occupying scratch position in a 440 yards handicap, my nearest opponent being a runner from one of the Metropolitan clubs with eight yards start, and next to him came a 'Varsity athlete, with an allowance of twelve yards (if I remember rightly). We chanced to be sharing the same bundle of straw pro– vided as a seat for changing purposes, when the 'Varsity runner remarked: "Curious sort of handicap, this." "Yes," I replied," handicapping always seems some– what odd to me." "What I mean is," continued he, "that I'm given twelve yards start from some local scratch man." As the conversation was unintention– ally becoming personal, I wandered from the point by hazarding the question, "Have you run much at the 'Varsity? " " No," he said; " generally won two or three events at my college sports, never seriously trained though." At this moment we were informed that the time had arrived for the quarter to be decided. Just as I was leaving the tent a friendly committee– man hinted that the runner on eight yards start was exceptionally good, and in his opinion should have joined me on scratch, so altogether my chances of success seemed to be somewhat remote. We had to run over a horseshoe-shaped course, and the line whitewashed across the grass representing scratch was immediately under the ropes that surrounded the track and acted as a barrier for the spectators. Was I to start on all