Bredin on Running & Training

MY CAREER AS AN ATHLETE. II7 fours from under it, by jumping over it, or have it temporarily removed? The official acting as starter, or for the purpose of seeing competitors on their proper marks, noticing my difficulty, solved the question at once. "Oh, you're scratch man, are you?" said he. "Well, stand up a bit." "\Vhere ? " I asked, bending down in such a position that my back just touched the rope. "A little further won't do any harm "-sympathy is so frequently bestowed on the most heavily handi– capped man. It has been stated that open confession is good for the soul, so that, much as I may regret it, I must own that it was but a very short eight yards that separated me from the next man when the pistol cracked. On entering the straight for home the 'Varsity and other shortly handicapped runners were having a neck and neck race ; I joined issue on the outside, with the subsequent result that the judge awarded me first place, and decided that a foot separated the next two. On leaving the ground shortly afterwards the Univer– sity man and I again happened to meet, when he pleasantly observed, " Oh, I didn't know you were the scratch man. Hope you didn't mind my remarks about the handicapping." "Not in the least," I replied. "All's well that ends well." It must have been that I had a train to catch, and was pressed for time; for in thinking matters over I am almost certain that for some reason or other it was impossible for me to wait and explain the little episode that had taken pia ce at the start of this quarter. The quarter-mile championship of 1892 was a disas– trous race in many respects for me. I ought to have