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Long-Journey Races, Such as the Marathon and Others
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THE MARATHON.
Since its revival (or, perhaps, its institution) with the revived Olympic Games this celebration of an historic event has received a tremendous amount of attention more, I think, than it deserves in some respects.
It is a long distance, no doubt; being run over a road track of 26 miles 170 yards, but Sherring’s performance in 1906 of 2 hours 61 min. 23 3-5 secs. was really, after all, nothing so wonderful.
Compare it with J. A. Squires’ amateur record in May, 1885, of 2 hours 47 min. 14 sees. for 26 miles, which is nearly 4 min. behind Mason’s professional record in 1881, and it doesn’t stand out as being so very big. I am aware that Sherring ran over an ordinary road, under a blazing sun, and amid clouds of dust, and that Squires and Mason ran on tracks; but when the improved modern methods of training are taken into consideration I fail to see why some Briton should not arise and cut down all the existing records.
Practically all the long-journey records, both professional and amateur, excepting of course, the freak ones of eighty miles and so on upwards, are held by British runners, so that I fail to see why we should not take advantage of what I believe to be a special quality of ours, and carry off this Olympic event at least pretty regularly.
Granted that it is run under a hot sun. Well, wouldn’t most athletes sooner run in warm weather l The muscles are looser then, and the action is much freer.
Certainly our amateurs don’t lay themselves out for any races over ten miles as s rule, but that is no reason why they should not do so, seeing that the course in much less severe than many people imagine. Staying power is, of course, the great thing to be considered, and practically the whole of one’s attention should be devoted to developing this quality.