Bredin on Running & Training

QUARTER-MILING. 23 during the race itself. If the I a tter does slightly over– exert himself after the start, this is not likely to seriously detract from his chance of success, but the strider so doing will beat himself before the straight is reached, and have lost all finishing power. As he cannot really sprint, he must not attempt to struggle, but run at an even and steady pace, rather depending on having some little bit in hand on approaching the tape. For an unmistakable sprinter, Downer was, I think, the best fmisher I have seen at a quarter of a mile, and taking the old Cambridge University President, W. Fitz– herbert, as representing one of the finest striding quarter– milers, my opinion is that in a race between those two exponents, each of a separate style, the Scotchman would not have been able to live with the 'Varsity a th– lete during the last 100 yards, had he stayed behind and allowed the I a tter to stride along at the pace that best suited him for the first three-quarters of the journey. In further comparing the ability of these two classes, cer– tainly in the majority of cases the strider will vanquish the sprinter; but occasionally a man with great pace who can stay far beyond a quarter is found amongst the professionals, owing to their having started by learning to sprint and finding subsequently that Nature had endowed them with staying power. Farrell, an American, who ran successfully in Sheffield handicaps as "Donovan," was better than "evens" at a sprint, and could easily beat two minutes for half a mile; whilst Williams, a" pro" from Sunderland, was never defeated in half-mile matches, his best time being I min. 56! sees. in one of these, and was a sound "even timer" over 130 yards. Both of these men must have been able to