Why? The Science of Athletics

250 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS We come now to the case of J. E. Lovelock, New Zealand. When he mad~ the present British record of 4 mins. I 2 secs. in I932, he ran the fastest first and the slowest third laps recorded in first class record-breaking miles, and for the initial half mile he was constantly urging his pace-maker to run faster. When he made his world's record of 4 mins. 7 3/5 secs., in I933, a different state of things obtained, for Hazen of Cornell set a tre– mendous pace, forcing Bonthron to run th~ first 440 yards in 6I I/5 secs., with Lovelock showing ·6I 2/5 secs. The next lap was virtually as fast, but whether it was necessary for either runner to drop to a fifth of a second outside 65 secs. for the third 440 yards the reader may judge from the- fact that Lovelock was able to cover the final quarter mile in 58 9/10 secs., with Bonthron showing 6o I/IO secs. Lovelock himself believed that if he could have got a better balance between his running of the first and third quarter miles he might have reduced the world's record still further. My own opinion is that we shall yet find a man of such inflexible will that no consideration of tactics or racing strategy will shake his iron determination to preserve an absolutely uniform pace, and then I think we shall see a mile run in the amazing time of 4 mins. to the tick of the watch. When that record matures it will be a case of the true mating of the hour and the man who can make the most of his muscular system working harmoniously with the rest of his organism. Back of all there will be a strortgly beating heart, a cool brain and a deeply breathing pair of lungs. Meanwhile two points present them- Robot selves to the student of the physiology of Running running. Apart from psychology as a factor of success, the three essentials for breaking distance records are, obviously, style, speed and stamina, combined with pace-judgment. The first point, therefore, involves the consideration of whether one standard, uniform style can be stabilized for the use of short, medium