Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-17

Details OF the Great Race nes"een
George and Cummings.

From the London Standard.
The third of the series of three matches be-
tween the champion professional pedestrian
w. Cummings of Paisley and Preston ana w.
G. George, the ex-amateur long distance cnaiA-
pion runner, was decided at Lliile brioee' "es'
Brompton, yesterday. The Gay peins nno' al
immense crowd of spectators, probably some
8 600 visited the grounds. AS ten mile
runner George stands second TO none IN the
history of pedestrianism, his time Ior the ois-
lance when running as an amateur IN APRIL
1884, at Stamford Bridge-namely, Oh mlnutes
20 seconds-never having been beaten oy any
amateur or professional. In 1881 cummings
won q ten-mile champion belt in OIL m1nutes
At 2-5 seconds, which is his best performance
at the distance. 40,
At the time fixed for the start, 5 p. m, the
atmospheric conditions were decidedly In FAVOR
of a fast performance. The wind had almosI
dropped, and the evening was quite warm anu
genial; AT o:15 p; m both coinP pew, rs 10
starting post, which was fixed en- the railway
side of the grounds, the men running lelt mana
inside, contrary to the usual custom % -. ~ tne
south. The betting was to and TO on
Cummings, who appeared in capitai conoi.
ton George, on the contrary, looked pare
and haggard and anything bu5 and acs
White fired the pistol. Cummings hung some
what on his mark, and George at once cut out
The first lap was finished by George in 1
minute 1S seconds with a lead OF couple OF
yards. For the first mile the pace was m1Sera-
the first lap, and completing the one mile in
minutes 81 2-5 seconds. The character OF the
rate of running can be best estimated by stat
ing that when George ran his record ten miles
his first mile was done In minutes 81 10
seconds, and when Cummings did his best ten
miles he covered his first mile in minutes A
20 seconds. George. at the same slow time,
completed five laps in minutes Al seconds,
and then, half way through the sixth lap, Cum
mings spurted by him, and finished the one
mile and a halt in minutes 81 seconds, lead
ing by two seconds. George seemed unable to
quicken, and at the end of two miles Cum
minss' time was 10 minutes IL % seconds,
George being exactly seconds to the bad.
Cummings now settled down into a long, easy
stride, and steadily drew away from George.
who ran without any life, and rapidly tell
further and further in the rear. Cummings
finished three miles in Is minutes % seconds
and four miles in 20 minutes 2 3-5 seconds,
George at the latter distance being % seconds
behind the leader In Georges second ten-mile
race the eX-amateur ran his four miles in 20
minutes IA Is seconds: In the fifth mile
George improved somewhat, and, if any thing,
closed up little on the leader. Cummings
completed the half distance in 25 minutes 10
seconds, George being now 30 % seconds in the
rear. Cummings five miles time was decidedly
fast, George in his aforementioned record race
taking 25 minutes 55 seconds for the same
tory was now over, and the interest in the race
n he IN the Possibility Of beat
miles, so minutes 1S % seconds, being no less
than II 4-5 seconds better than the same dis.
lance in Georges record ten miles.
Cummings here set to work in earnest to beat
record, and George dropped still further in the
rear. The relative times OF the two men We're.
Seven Understandings, 35 min. % sec;
George, SO min. ii sec. Eight miles-Cum.
mlngs, 40 min. 46 Sec; George, Al min. 10 %
sec. Nine miles-Cummings, 45 min. SO Sec;
George, DC min. % Sec, exactly 90 seconds sep
arating the two men. Entering the last mile
Cummings was IS seconds in front of Georges
record performance at the same distance, and
the professional champion, running hard
through to the last four laps, finally completed
the distance in the unprecedented time of 81
min. 3-5 Sec, beating the record by 13 %
sec. George also finished at his best pace, but
the watch gave his time So min. IT sec, or
81 seconds behind his own previous standard
performance in April, 1854.
Had Cummings made the pace faster in the
first mile there is no doubt 81 minutes would
have been beaten and he is undoubtedly the
best man from one TO ten miles ever seen on the
path. He ran yesterday with much longer
and freer stride than in the one mile race on
the 3lst Ult., and his collapse on that occasion
is difficult to understand. George did not run
in anything like his true form, and probably q
hard and severe course of training has told
upon the ex-amateur champion. If the pair
meet again at one mile. Cummings would now
certainly turn the tables on his former con-
querOr, but after a rest George may recover his
form and retrieve his reputation.