The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

136 ATHLETIC SPORTS OF SCOTLAND. as a turn ofspeed atthe finish not unfrequently wins a mile or a ten miles' raceas well as ahundred yards. The mostimportant point in running races in which stamina andwind areas impor­ tant as speed is to learn to regulate the pacefrom startto finish, so that there is just sufficient reserve of strength and wind to enable the runner to increase his speed in the last 100 yards, and finish "all out " at the winning post. If a runner runs too fast at the beginning he may run himself to a standstill before the finish; if too slowhe may find that, while rapidly diminish­ ing the leadof his opponents at the finish, they yet manage to win before he can get up to them. With unknown competitors it isnot safeto run awaiting race,that is, to regulate the speed by another until the finish,unless one hasa rare turn of speed for the finish. A mile runner who can do the mile in 4 min. 30 sec. with a pace calculatedfrom startto finish for 4 min. 30 sec,, by jogging alongat a 5 min. pace for most of the distance,may be left at the finish by a fast quarter orhalf-mile runner who, if taken along at a 4 min. 30 sec. pace throughout would never have been init at the finish. A long distance runner should accustom himself to finish hard and fast, even in private practice. There is nothing in the whole range ofathletic sports thattests a man'spluck anddetermination better han the finish in a hard run race at or over a quarter of a mile. It isa mistake to think that the longera race is the harder it is on the runner. The most distressing finishesare at and under a mile—probably from 600 to1000 yards. After a runner has got his second wind, as it is called, and begins to perspire freely, the worstof the distress is over. Only those who have experienced it know how acute is the feelingof distress when legs and breath are both failing near the finish of a hard run half-mile, andonly the besttrained and pluckiest know how fast and how far invincible courage will carry them after they feel completely pumped out. Many a runner collapses and loses a race not because he cannot run further, butbecause he has not the courage to stand out longer against the distresshe feels. But is not this excessive standing