Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES he returned 47·8 secs., while the late Wyndham Halswelle, of the Highland Light Infantry, ran the quarter-mile in 48·4 secs. at Glasgow in I908. There is also the famous Inter-Varsity record-holder, H. C. L. Tindall, of Cambridge University, who in I889 returned 48·5 secs. Tindall's time was equalled by the Englishman E. C. Bredin at the old Stamford Bridge track in I895, and by M. C. Barker at Sydney, Australia, in I905. To-day the world's record of 46·4 secs. is held by Ben Eastman, U.S.A., who achieved that time in I932. This performance he followed up in the succeeding year by running 6oo yds. in I min. 9·2 secs., and then 88o yds. in I min. 49·8 secs. in I934-three amazing records to be held by the same athlete. In I936 A. Williams, an American negro., ran 400 metres (437 yds. I ft. 4i ins.) in 46·I secs. Eastman's records seem still more remarkable when one remem– bers the pre-War records. In I9IO M. W. Sheppard, U.S.A., ran 6oo yds. in I min. Io·8 secs.; in I9I2 J. E. Meredith, U.S.A., ran 88o yds. in I min. 52•5 secs. Yet even Eastman's half-mile per– formances have since been overshadowed, the distance of 8oo metres (874 yds. 2ft. 8! ins.) being run in I936 by G. Cunningham, U.S.A., in I min. 49·7 secs., and in I937 by E. Robinson, U.S.A., in I min. 49 ·6 secs. Wonderful as are these improvements in short- and middle– distance records, I think that they pale considerably when one realizes the advance which has been made in the art of running the distance of I mile. As long ago as I886 the famous old pro– fessional W. G. George, of England, who is happily still with us, proved what a human being is capable of by running a mile in 4 mins. I2! secs. Up to the period of the War, however, no amateur had run a faster mile than John Paul Jones, U.S.A., who returned 4 mins. I4"4 secs. in I9I3. This record was broken in I9I5 by Norman S. Taber, U.S.A., who, running as an amateur in a specially framed handicap, returned 4 mins. I2·6 secs., to eclipse even George's professional time by a fraction of a second. The first post-War Olympic Games were held at Antwerp, and they brought to light a new middle-distance running star destined to make history. This was Paavo Nurmi, of Finland (Plate VII, Fig. I9), who in I923 reduced the world's mile record to 4 mins. I0·4 secs., while the time of his runner-up, Erling Wide, of Sweden, was 4 mins. I3·I secs. A new method of running the mile had been found, and records were due to fall like leaves in Vallombrosa. In I 93 I J ules Ladoumegue, of France, covered the 20