The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-01

Take sprintiHg, for Instance, and it Is
found that the best big men are no better
than plenty of comparatively little ones. A
man feet or inches in height is called a
man of short STATURE but in the illustration
''Sprinters of Short Stature" are two unus1-
ally short runners, both of whom have made
| first rate records. At the right is the famous
professional sprinter, William Mills. His
height is only feet 3 inches and be weighs
about 125 pounds. He is considered to be
about as good as 10 seconds for 100 yards,
and he makes his strides when sprintlng more
rapidly than any one | have ever seen. 1t
seems remarkable that such a short man
should be able to get over the ground so fast,
and the only explanation that can be made is
that he has unusual nerve force which ena-
bles him to stride with phenomenal rapidity.
When he is compared with Wendell Baker
who is feet high, and several other anna
teur runners who have done 100 yards in 10
seconds, one cannot fail to see how mvsteri-
GUS the human frame is in its capabilities.
The general impression is that fast runners
are of the thin, stag like build. and that they
travel more with a graceful, feeting motion
than by muscular effort. Tall men as arule do
run more gracefully than short ones, because
their strides are generally much longer and
they do not have to make them so rapidly as
do the short ones. 1t has often been said that
if some six foot sprinter could stride as rapid
ly as some mentioned short one he would be
world beaten, but at present such express
Sions have not helped the long strider to
make his motions more quickly than his ner-
vouS power will permit
The other figure of the illustration is ".
tba l,,Cp IL
of the Manhattan Athletic club, but now
Of the New Yorks. White is 5 feet inches
high and weighs In condition about III
pounds. He has run some remarkably fast
races, and yet his physique is hardly that of
hSf grown boy. He runs with rather a
quick stride, but not SO rapidly as Mills.
These two men, although very good exam
pies of good sprinters of short stature, are
not the only examples that can be mentioned,
for Frank T. Richie, of England, is a very
fast amateur, who stands only feet inches
nigh. and yet weighs in athletic dress about
$50 pounds He is considered as good as 10
seconds for 100 yards, although he was beaten
by Fred Westing, the ex-champion 100 yard
runner, for the English 100 yard champion
ship in 1888, in 10 Is seconds.
Westing is another remarkable specimen Of
sprinter of short stature, for he stands but
) feet inches high, and weighs 1876 pounds in
condition. When he returned to the United
States after his victorious visit to England,
ne ran numerous fast races and ended up the
season by winning the 100 yard champion
ship of America and Canada, defeating,
among others, c. H Sheriff., who won the
100 yard championship Of the United States
;hs previous year, and Victor f. Schiller
stein, vino q few months previous had run
100 yards in 10 seconds. Both Of these men
are many inches taller than Westiug. but his
short, choppy, quick strides carried him along
:aster than the more easy looking movements
Of his two celebrated antagonists.