The Washington herald., 1912-07-14
The Trainer of the Olympic
Team Says His Men
Are in Form.
REIDPATH WINS EVENT
B, MICHAEL j. MURPHY.
Trainer American Olympic Team.


Stockholm, Sweden, July I3-l have
been asked a hundred times to-day
what chance America has tomorrow in
the Marathon race, the crowning blue
ribbon event of the Olympic pro-
granlme and one l would rather have
our boys win than almost all the others
put together. Frankly | would not
dare to hazard a prediction. But | do
think we have fully as good chance
as we had at London four years ago
when Johnny Hayes won from Doran-
do, the Italian, in one of the most
sensational finishes of athletic history
There is no reliable means of COM
parison by which probable winner OF
this event can be doped out. Such a
long race is far too uncertain.
COURSE Is HARD.
To-day I went over the course with
Johnny Hayes. who has been training
the American team. II Is by far the
hardest course ! ever saw. The first three
miles are OF hard macadam with a new
layer OF rock on the top. This rock Is
not only SO unyielding as to pound the
feet OF the runners, but IL is not laid
evenly. In fact 1t is rough as the
rocky road to Dublin"
But OF worse significance Is the fact
that this three miles Is also the last
three miles and that the runners who go
out over 1t from the Stadium will have
TO return over Il to the Stadium.
Under existing conditions those last
three miles are likely to prove doubly an
moving and hazardous TO the well spent
athletes throughout the very trying fnal
stages OF the weary journey
Outside the hard macadam road the
course trails up hill and down dale over
heavy dust and sandy soil In fact the
entire course is Ike Maine or Minnesota
rather than like any other part OF Europe.
The hotter the weather tomorrow the
better for our boys. / am praying for
Just such another scorcher as to-day.
Our men who appear In best form for
the historic test of athletic endurance
are Michael j. Ryan. of the Irish-Ameri-
can A. c.; John J. Gallagher. ir., of
Yale. and the Indian, Sockalexis. of Old
Town. Me.
Victory In 1900 Meters.
The most important victory OF our
3,ooo-meter team race. To my way of
thinkit4 It makes glorious amend for the
loss OF the 1,5co-meter run. VIC really had
little better than an outside chance, for
cur runners had all been put through
hard competition all week On the other
hand Sweden and England both had
saved up their men to cinch this event
The greatest surprise OF the +0p-meter
race the fart that ~
many, finished second. I was confident
tnat We would sweep this event which
fell to our Charles d. Reidpath. ! did
not think that Braun had much chance
for any winning position. We undoubted-
~ would have taken second place along
with first IL Young had not been dis
qualified in his heat yesterday. Our COM
mittee did not see fit to enter a protest
aeainst disqualification.
But again wish to state that his race
which met with disqualification was alb
solutely clean. Young is one of the
finest types of American athlete.
In the standing high jump 1 think that
Platt Adams, had he been pressed. would
have established a new worlds record.
The feature events of the weekend
were the two fine races both OF which
fell to America-the 400 meters and the
1900 meters team race. The former was
the one hand and Braun, OF Germany
on the other. The Syracuse collegian,
Charles d. Reidpath, beat out Braun
handily in IS is seconds. with Edward
F. Lindberg, of the Chicago A A, in
third place. The judges had very wisely
decided to have the men run in lanes in
this final heat SO that there was abso-
lutely no question of advantage to any
man through illegal tactics.
BY taking the So00-meter team race
from the Swedes and the British, the
Americans more than evened the score
for the few unpleasant surprises expert
enced.
America was out Of its element in the
discus throw with both hands. II was
an entirely new game to the champions
who were not accustomed to throwing
with the left hand. Consequently the
men Of the North had little difficulty in
annexing the honors. The two Firms