Why? The Science of Athletics

RECORDS AND RECORD BREAKING 1 73 arranged on the basis of "effort'' as distinct from "time". Average Speeds of World's Records The values of some of the present-day world's records assessed in yards per second and miles per hour will prove clearly the truth of the above contentions. TABLE OF AVERAGE SPEEDS FOR WORLD,'S RECORDS Distance Record Yds. per M.P.H. Record made by Yds. H.M.S. . second --- - 440 46'4 9'5 I9'39 B. Eastman, U.S.A. 26/3/'32 88o I 49'8 8·I8 I6•70 B. Eastman, U.S.A. I6/6/'34 I Mile 4 6·8 7'I3 I4'58 G. Cunningham, U.S.A. I6/6/'34 25 Miles 2 2.9 29'4 4'9I !0'04 H. Green, G.B. I2/5/'I3 In the case of Professor Kennelly's calculations he arrived at his results by plotting the logarithm of the distance covered (or of the average speed) against the logarithm of the time occupied and thus obtained curves which were practically straight lines over a wide range. These calculations, however, do not seem to involve con– sideration of the fact that the speed at which a given distance can be run is dependent upon the amount of energy to be expended in accomplishing ·the feat, and the determination of ·that factor would require the use of entirely different equations. None the less, Hill and Kennelly proved, along different lines of reasoning, that the ideal way to break a running record is by maintaining a constant speed, but of this more will be said presently. What Kennelly really arrived at in making his study of racing animals (including man) was a general law of fatigue which postulates that the time taken to cover any distance varies approximately as the ninth power of the eighth root of the distance, or, as a formula : Log T equals (approx.) g/8 Log L minus a constant. Paavo Nurmi made all his world's records by both ,, ,,