The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-04-12
SAYS DISTANCE RUNNERS
MUST Use ENGLISH STYLE
Farmer Champion Believes Amer
lea Can Produce Many Rec
ord Breakers.
SHORT EASY STRIDE IS BEST

rho idea that we are destined to
,...oion I'm the near future the great
oct lot OF middle distance runners the
,.or,d has ever produced has been ex-
crossed by Hugh Baxter, millionai@
,,omher of the New York Athletic
h.b than whom there is no better
,,ag, of athletics. Himself a former
NATIONAL champion and record hoider
., running. hurdling, pole vaulting ahc
other branches of sport, Mr.. Baxter
,as since his retirement fcom active
ocmnetition, been one of the most gem
erous patrons of athletics. and follow
o. their development with keen in:e"~
cst often acting as amateur coach p
nj, eliminates and so keeping In to! y
with the most up to-d1te methods.
According TO Mr.. Baxter the roai VI
that our middle distance and long dis
lance runners in the past have beeh
defeated by the foreigners lies in the
STYLE that they have used, tacklins
even the marathon races with a SNOWY,
high stepping action that cannot pos
sibly give the best results except over
short courses. He attributes to the
changes which George V. Bonhag made
in his style after the olympic games
of 1905 our champions wonderful per-
formances of the two past seasons, ana
he saws that when others realize what
decided advantage "A less springy
.,ffII M t.nRnr1-
breakers turned out here
1T was at the Olympic games in
London" said Mr.. Baxter, talking on
the subject, that I first learned tC
appreciate the difference between the
English style of running the middle
and long distances and ours. / had
once heard NJ. c. Murphy express tho
opinion that no man could run his best
on his toes beyond a certain limit, and
the words cone in mind when | no.
ticcd how easily the Englishmen Gov
cred the ground. running almost fla
footed and seeming not to raise theil
knees at all, their being a shutting
gliding action with arms and body
carried loosely), and short steps alb
soiutely devoid of spring. The Amer
leans, instead, ran we'll on their toes
strding out showily and seeming 4
bounce up every time they struck tn
track; their arms were carried bent a
elbow, and pumped as one does il
racing a quarter mile.
observing the two styles side b.
side it was readily seen that while tn
Englishmen looked clumsy, compares
TO our men, they were not wasting
particle of energy; their short strid
allowed the foot to stay close TO tn
ground all the time so that there wa
no bump on the foot or jerk on tn
calf muscles when IL struck.
americans on the other ham
brought the knees high up in the al
and then came down on the hard trac
with a shock that must have been fel
all the way up the leg. using tn
muscles unnecessarily end wasting u
lot Of energy without benefit. AS
result, when it came to the last stage
Of the journey, the Englishmen wer
rested enough to let out another linl
while the Americans had lost all thei
snap and form and could not squirt.
Il spoke at the time of this to sew
cral OF our leading runners, but the
we're not at all convinced, and thong
they said it might be so, they made n
change In their style. Bonhag, i'm
stead, told me he also had noticed tn
difference and intende to modify hi
stride accordingly. He did. too, an
Is my opinion that to the chang
can be attributed the long list of re
markable records he has establishe
since. When the others realize wher
TIE trouble is we will have many NOR
runners as fast and probably taste
y cannot be otherwise. The hg
s'ePpers look very pretty but vast
iot of energy. The short stepping
easy running men may look awkwar
nut they put every ounce of strengt
10 advantage, and are bount to com
cut best in the end"