Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-02-01
WILL SHRUBB WIN?
Race Between EngIishman and
Indian Causing Discussion.
NEW RECORD LOOKED FOR.

Should the Famous Little Briton Be
Able to Maintain His Speed For Full
Marathon Distance Old Marks Are
Sure to Be Shattered on Jan. rs.
Can Alfred Shrubb. the great Eng
lish professional runner, retain his
phenomenal speed for the full Mara
thon distance, 20 miles 1856 yards?
This is the question followers Of dis
lance running throughout the country
are debating in view of the match be-
tween Shrubb and Tom Longboat, the
Indian, at Madison Square Garden.
New York, Jan. 20.
Shrubb Is best at I've. ten or fifteen
miles. Can he get far enough ahead
Of Longboat to stall of the untiring
rush at the end? Longboat has proved
that he has no peer at the Marathon
distance when he Is right. Shrubb has
an even more complete monopoly at
the middle distances. Their meeting
should make race with thrill in
every one of 262 laps and prove one of
the greatest spiked shoe duels in the
history Of athletics.
Shrubb intends to make the Indian
run faster than he ever did in his life
for the first ten miles or lose lot of
ground. In fact, Shrubb IS confident
he will be able to gain several laps on
the Indian in the first part of the race
The little Briton can run single miles
around minutes % seconds, while
Longboat's extreme speed Is about 4
minutes 40 seconds for that distance.
1t is another proposition, however
us to what will happen during the last
half of the race. Shrubb himself is
not sure he can stick the distance out,
way he will be far in the lead at the
finish. Longboat has great amount
OF endurance. with long stride, and
he will plug the route in close to record
time unless he goes back on the form
he has shown so far. Shrubb will have
to get under the record in order to win.
Shrubb is not any larger than the
average primary school boy. He
weighed 11S pounds before his twelve
mile relay race against Kanaly. Simp-
son and Williams, whom he defeated
in New York recently, and after the
contest he tipped the scales Mt 112.
In recent interview Shrubb said:
81 can surely beat Iongboat at the
shorter distances. lie will tell you so.
But he is great Marathon runner.
must admit. There isn't any question
about his staying powers or his game
ness, but in a ten mile race I'll give
him a lap handicap and beat him.
81 was at my best when l was twen-
ty-one. How I could run in those days!
I've just turned thirty but I'm only
minute and half off my former
speed. When I made the ten mile
worlds record at Stamford Bridge
track was paced by field Of thirty
two men. l had to travel some. too. l
can tell you. l was setting q worlds
mark and had to pick my way through
that flying bunch. The handicaps were
so arranged that some Of the men
were two miles and half ahead of
me before started. So you can mag
inc how l buzzed around that quarter
mile track"
The Marathon fever has reached Cal
ifornia. Several sporting promoters in
Los Angeles have offered purse Of
$4,000 for a three cornered race with
Longboat. Dorando and Hayes rs
starters. the distance to be 2G miles
1856 yards. The purse will be cut up so
that each man can have $1,000, with
an extra $1,000 for the winner. 1t is
said that Longboat has accepted and
that If the others follow his example
the race will be run Feb. %.