The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1912-08-07

races, is of the University of Pennsyl-
vania.
In the semi-finals the men in the
| S00-meter race were divided into TWO
groups and only one more American
dropped out. | won my preliminary
heat in 1:561a, and took second by a
foot in the semi finals in .551a. Four
men qualified in the second round
The Blue Ribbon Race.
The final was run OH Monday. This
made the third day of successive half
mile racing. 1t may be of interest to
my readers to have some description ct
this race, the blue ribbon event Of the
entire meet, from an American view
point, at least.
There We're eight men in the final:
six of them were Americans. Shep-
pard, the favorite; Merdith the win
ner, high-school boy not twenty
years of age; Davenport of Chicago,
the undefeated champion of the mid
die west: Caldwell of Massachusetts.
who came near to defeating Shep-
pard in the eastern trials; Putnam of
Cornell, and myself. All of us had
done better than 80 seconds. There
were but two other men III the race:
Brock of Canada, who won one of the
two semi-fnals and Brown of Ger
many, the greatest half miller on the
other side Many expected him to
win.
At Disadvantage.
Never were men more keyed for
race than were the six Americans.
We rode to stadium like so many men
going to the gallows. No one spoke,
all were white and anxious. Shep-
pard drew the pole and set the pace
all the way with Meredith running
second | drew the highest number
in the race as l did in every other
race that | went into. This was a
distinct disadvantage to me. | like to
set the pace but l found it impossi-
Bile to get into the lead as the entire
bunch of men stayed in one small
group. not more than three yards
all When | attempted to
take the lead, I was forced almost to
the middle of the track and in this
position l had to run the entire way, |
or else fall back in the rear; 50
OH rs cto in, 10 ,>,u- of
course, was running many yards far
Their than the men at the pole; SO that |
when we hit the last stretch had |
no sprint left. The pace had been a
done in 521a seconds.
For the first time in his life, Shep-
pard could not answer the challenge
of an opponent in the last squirt and
young Merith, who had been trail
ing just behind him, slowly strained
ahead of him and broke the tape one
tenth of a second in the lead. His time
was Isl $40 and his time for the full
half mile was :521a. These are both
worlds records The latter was held
by Lungi, the Italian. He was entered
IN the 800meter race, but failed to
qualify in the semi-finals
Davenport of Chicago won third,
md he was so close to Sheppard
hat his time was the same. They
we're both clicked in 1 so for the 800
meter distance. This was the second
;lean sweep made by the Americans in
he first three days. However, It was
lot the last.
The 400 Meter.
| did not feel as badly about not
lacing in the 800-meter race as did
n the 400. l was just getting over a
1ery sore leg and was not in condition.
,ut was feeling fine in the second
ace. | won my heat in SO 1-5 seconds,
nd the semi-finals were the same aft
rnoon | drew Ridpath, who has a
ecord for 44O yards of 48 fiat. Only
he first man was to go into the finals.
Again | drew the outside with Eid-
ath at the pole. l ran a close sec
nd to him, after going all around all
le rest of the field The next day
he final was run in lanes, so that each :
ian ran his own race, and had to go
round no one. Ridpath won this in
Is, but $40 faster than his semi
nal | am confident that under the
,ma conditions oOu1d oOmo noar