Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1882-03-23
The Recent Walking Match.
now FAR CAN \ MAN 90 ON FOOT II SIX
pAYS2

llazaels performance Of 600 mile, ia si1
days. >ays the New York Sun. Was clearly
not the limit of his ability. Before the close
Of the race he told his 6acker to bet On his
going 62j miles. No one could be found TO
take tins bet. so he cunteuted himself with
600 miles. though there j. not the slightest
doubt that he could have made the greater
distance If there had been any special in
dueement. His backer thinks he could have
gone $40 miles ia the SIX uays. For u SIX
day race. III all protracted struggles, of
course the quality of muscular endurance
is the first requisite. But that will he found
useless unless there goes with it strong
digestion. John Ennis was certainly man
of extraordinary natural endurance and
pluck, but he had to abandon his efforts to
make a fortune through go-as- you-please
races, simply because hIs stomach would not
20 with him. After endurance and dIges-
tion-good condition being always under
stood-comes gait. Horses win with good
and bad galts and so also of the men
travel with ease, and with no apparent
muscular eXertion except what Is directly
employed IN locomotion; and some 20 la
of muscular effort that can be of no service
in really driving the body forward. If the
man that clearly wastes power can keep up
with the man that goes with no such waste.
il is evidently because he can generate
more force to waste, which implies better
digestive apparatus ; and it must be rencm-
bered that the ungaInly Fitzgerald, in scur-
ing 5S2 miles IN the previous match, showed
l.. 4. 1, ~ en-
Also a man should be able to go well both
walking and running. O'Leary, in condi-
ton, easily walked away from his competI-
tors but when runner came against him
he was hOpelessly beaten. He could walk,
but could not run. So, the old grenadier
| hrOhne possessed enormous endurance, but
could not reach the runners. See, now.
what sort of man has just gone his 600
miles with ease. Hazael always has been
known as great runner for any distance
| from five to twenty miles but he was never
! celebrated as walker. Anv one seeing
him coming down the stretch al speed might
well believe he saw ghost. When running
IN spite of his bowed, misshapen figure,
Hazael travels with such ease and grace of
motion, that he~almost seems to get over
the ground without any movement at all.
Yet, when he slows down to a walk, he
moves with great labor and only moderate
speed. Hazael is nearly 40 years old, long
past the prime of strength, and has prob
ably led life very different from what
would be marked out as the best for a man
to preserve his vitality to the fullest extent
He is sufferer from hernia, and is poor
walker; and, Judging from his previous per-
formances, 1t is not all likely that his d.
gestion is of remarkable strength, or that
he is gifted with such wonderful power of
reeuperation as was the case with Weston.
Yet, such as he is, he has shown his ability
to 60 not far from $50 miles in the l42
hours. His present score may never be
beaten, for the reason that six day matches
may 60 out of fashion but it does not seem
improbable that the ideal and phenomenal
x-day runner, healthy youth with a COM
bination of the best of endurance, digestion
and gait, would cover nearly, if not quite,
100 miles.