The morning news., 1891-03-29
ATHLETES DERBY DAY.
PREPARING FOR THE GREAT Ma
TIONAL CROsS-COuNTRY MEETS.

Famous Cracks to Compete in the
Monster Handicap Run, and tie
Various Clubs Getting Their Picked
Teams in Trim for the Championship
Races-C Chs mpion " lille Day, A. B.
George, Jack Lloyd. W. T. Young,
ex-Chanpion Conner and Other
Great Runners Entered for the
Honors.
(Copui9ht)
NEW York, March 2S.-Just now there
is unusual activity among the athletic clubs
all over the union in anticipation of the
two important national events soon to take
place under the auspices of the National
Cross Country Association.
There is no finer track in the east for
cross country running than that of the New
York Jockey Club at Morris Park, where
the monster handicap run of the national
association comes off on April next.
! The course will be laid over a distance Of
eight miles and will be intersDersed here
/ and there with artificial obs ,acles that will
| try the agility and endurance OF the con-
| testants. There will be water jumps, some
seven o. eight feet wide. hurdles, fences and
hedges, which will be taken by the runners
in full view of the grand stand. Thousands
| of spectators will be drawn there TO witness
the splendid work of ex-Champion T. p.
| Connect, Champion Willie Day, A. B.
George, Jack Lloyd, the famous crack Of
| the Prospect Harriers, who never finishes
worse than second, Ernest Hiertsberg of the
| New Jersey Athletic Club. w. T.
| Young, an English long-distance wonder,
who came over with A. b. George, and, also +,
T.. Ill ., ~.NI
and Princeton at the long distance. The
entries thus far received by Secretary
| Frank Of the Cross Country Association in
| dicate a field of starters never before
| equalled since cross country running came
into vogue, and probably even stronger nu-
merically than last years tournament. when
over 200 were entered. The prizes will be
silver cups and medals which have been
| given by several of the leading clubs, the
championship cup being a superb affair val.
| ued at $3.50.
The second great event Of the season will
be the regular championship team races Of
| the National Cross Country Association,
which will be contested over the same
course on April 25. This will probably
attract an even larger number of entries, as
any athletic club in the United States or
pleases. Among the clubs likely to furnish
| strong teams to try for championship
honors are the New York Athletic club,
Manhattan, Staten Island, Boston, Schuyl-
kill Navy Athletic Club, Detroit, Louis
Vile, Palma, Jersey City, Columbia,
Berkeley, New Jersey, Buffalo Athletic
| CLUB, Southern of New Orleans aud Mont
real Athletic Club These organizations,
each finely equipped with improved training
facilities and memberships varying from
500 to 1850 the larger number Iepresenting
the strength Of the New York Athletic
Club, the strongest in the world, are all
intensely interested in fostering the sport of
| cross country running and will send picked
men to compete. Each team will have
from six to twelve men. Thus far twenty
three teams are entered on the secretary S
list, and the number win probably reach
| thirty.
All the talk is OF records and record
breaking and MANY predictions are in
dulged in that the present season at the
long cross country distances will be as full
of surprises as that of 1889, when eight
distinct records were broken in field ath-
letics. Expert long distance men, how
ever, smile at this and point out that it re-
| quires phenomenal pluck and endurance to
| stay ont the run, as many a fine looking
team which has gone to pieces on the field
has demonstrated. Ii is sport in which
hard training gives more than half the bat
tie.
Az bub ISAu IueeIlnB lueTe W III pe u very
lively struggle for honors in the diiferenG
| grades. The runners will be divided into
| Two ciasses-seniors and juniors-the latter
| being these who have not previously COM
| peted in any championship contest. In the
first class the Manhattan Athletic Club of
New York will have a team which, from
the number Of its famous runners, should be
| qualified to carry off some of the prices. at
least The team will include ex-Champion
| T. 2. Connect, one of the most graceful run
ners ever seen in the country; A. b. George.
the brother of the famous English runuer; I;
and J. s. Roddy, T. H. Turner aud w. w. w.
| Woodbridge, three of the speediest men in
| Princeton. College. This will be supple
mented by f. F. Carr, H. L. Damon, w. A.
| DePodesta, w. M. jack, E. d. Lange, w.
| d. Mccarthy, A. p. Roth, G. M. Raymo I'd,
| M. j. Tracey. f. A. Ware, @. A. s. Vein
ers. w. T. Young. w. M. Christie, James
| Hendrink, Mortimer Remington, G. De.
Casanova, d. j. Tompkins, W. H. Struse,
J. w. Rich and Fl. Fredericks. Even
Willie Day, the almost girlish New Jersey
boy, may have enough to do TO keep to the
| front with such a team. Day has been en-
tered by the New Jersey Athletic Club and
| Dohm, the swift-heeled Princstonian, is ex
| pec,ed to come with his college team. In
| vitations have been sent to all the amateur
| organizations, colleges included, and the re-
spanses are coming in freely.
| No mere sDrinter need think or entering
| a cross country race to win, unless he Is
proved to possess the endurance and grit
necessary to pull himself through the miles
before him. Willie day, although only 20
! years Id, iso thorough trained athelete He
| carries himself with a smooth tirelesS
stride that never relaxes till the goal is in
sight. George, the English runner, is
more stockily built than Day, but far less
| graceful He has longer stride and leans
| forward a good deal as he runs. I. 7. Con-
nef runs lightly aid apparently with little
effort, while his burst of speed when a
| squirt is called for are astonishing. d jhm,
| the PIincetonian. aud Downes of Harvard,
| are both marvelously speedy, and the latter
| is known to be a runner of wonderful en-
durance. These two men are about evenly
matched, and both can cover a half mile in
a little over fifty seconds. Downes is the
crack runner OF Harvard for distance.
Roddy, Turner and Woodbridge Of Prince
ton, who are entered in the Mania tan
| club senior team, are also fairly good men
at long dis ances but it is doubtful IL any
OF the colleges can furnish men who can last
we'll over a cross country course alongside
of runners who have made the sport
speciality. Harvard has not cultivated long
distance running to any great extent.
White and Davenport are among her best
men ct a mile
The officers OF this association are b. G.
Williams If the New York Athletic club,
presidents; G.. c. Hughes, Manhattan Ath-