Track Athletics in Detail (extract)

THE MIDDLE DISTANCES 21 over the race so as to counteract as far as possible those of the other competitors. It would have been unwise for Hollister to fight with Kilpatrick for the lead in this case, because the latter could have run him off his feet. That is Kilpatrick s style. But by letting Kilpatrick set the pace, Hollister had an easier time of it in the first quar­ ter, because he did not have to give any thought whatever to his gait. When it came to the stretch, all he had to do was to sprint. Neverthe­ less, the best general rule for a novice is to jump to the lead and hold it if he can. When he gets to be a first-class man he can devote more thought to the individual work of his opponents. One of the best things for any one working at the half- mile is to attend every meeting he can and watch the work of other half-milers. In fact, it is well for every athlete to follow big games, and study his own event in the work of others. Big cham­ pionship games should never be missed if it is a possible thing to witness them.