Coaching and Care of Athletes

CHAPTER XVII THE HALF-MILE AND Boo METRES THE manner in which modern half-mile record races have been run has forced the athletic world towards the conclusion that the 88o yds. is following the quarter-mile into the category of sprint races. At present we have three, if not four, definite types of half-milers. Firstly there are the men referred to in the last chapter, who concentrate on the 440 yds. and 88o yds. as their two events. They, again, are subdivided into the sprinter type of quarter-miler and the individual quarter-miler. Similarly, we have the individual type of half-miler, of whom Tom Hampson is a typical example, he being the first to run the 8oo ,_metres, which is 874·8g yds., in less than I min. 50 secs. In the same cate– gory, I suppose, we might include the great German runner Hans Braun, who was killed during the Great War. Hampson, however, was, I think, almost the first man to appreciate the value of run– ning both laps in virtually even time, for when Ben Eastman, U.S .A., made the immediately preceding 88o yds. record of I min. 52 secs. he took 53 secs. for his initial quarter-mile and 59 secs. for the final quarter-mile. Comparative performances for various classes of championships held in England, in international matches, and at the Olympic Games work out as follows: - BBo Yns. Boo METRES Public Schools 2 mins. I0 ·2 secs. - All universities 2 mins. I ·8 secs. - Individual counties . 2 mins. I ·7 secs. Northern District 2 mins. o ·o secs. - Midland District I min. 59· I secs. - Southern District I mrn. 54'4 secs. - English A.A.A. I min. 55'4 secs. - International matches I m1n. 55·0 secs. I min. 54'4 secs. Olympic Games - I min. 54 ·o secs. 1 1 The sixth man in the Boo metres Olympic final at Berlin in 1936 returned I min. 55·6 secs.