Why? The Science of Athletics

SOME MATHEMATICS IN ATHLETICS 253 produced by Nurmi in Fig 8I with the faulty irregularity of the curves produced by a bad runner and recorded in Fig. 82. The difference may be actually assessed by quantitative measurement of the two sets of curves, when the value of regularity in forward movement as a factor in record breaking will be readily appreciated. The study of running curves, set out graphically, shows that the bad runner wastes much of the velocity of his body carriage through lack of rhythm and balance, and by his jerky action expends a disproportionately . great amount of energy in keeping himself "on the run" ; whereas the good runner, properly poised and constantly , striving to catch up the weight of his own forward momentum, sails smoothly along with little or no KNEE . roo~ break In the TOES...__...:;:::::::.,.....::::-..., rhythm of his action. The FIG. 82 latter is a mode of progression designed, and well-calculated, to delay the intervention of physical exhaustion as long as possible. - To summarize. It is a highly debatable point as to whether man-· as man-has improved sufficiently in physique and nerve force during the last thirty-eight or forty years to account for the fact that three men, i.e. Bonthron, Lovelock and Cunningham, have improved from 9·5 to I I .2 secs, upon the world's record made in I895 by T. P. Conneff. Or, to take Lovelock's record of 4 mins. 7.6 secs. as representative of the mean of modern record-breaking in 1933-34, there is clear evidence that the modern record-smashing miler, travelling a bit fas-ter than 7 yards per second, could give the world's record holder of forty years ago just about 70 yards start in a mile and yet beat him .by approximately two-fifths of a sewnd. Nor can we altogether account for the improvement