The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-31
Winter Racing Laure1s
All Go to Abel Kjuiat

strategy of the Staten Island boy told,
and when Meredith attempted to
reach the front on the backstretch he
found that kiviat had taken quick ad-
vantage of an opening and held the
pole, which meant victory when
backed up by speed and pluck. Even
Their the chances seemed to be in
favor of Meredith, for he was only a
yard behind Kiviat when they began
the stretch run of 70 yards to the
tape. Where Kiviat developed the
speed to hold enough of this advan-
tage to win is the chief mystery of
the event, but it is a fact that this
distance runner did what Halpin, the
Quarter-mile champion, could not do
in the suburban quarter-kept in from
of the great Meredith until the md. o.
In addition to his victories owe
kolehmainon and Meredith there was
another feather in Kiviat's cap when
he ran away from Norman Taber, the
Brown miller, in the race for the Bax-
ter cup at the Columbia games. The
victory was such a hollow n that it
is scarcely probable that the man who
gained fame by running a dead heat
with John Pau Jones, holder of the
worlds record, was at his best. Kiviat,
however, showed that he was unbeat-
able by establishing a record of
Ais Is on a board floor that rem
dered no particular advantage in the
way of elasticity such as maintains
on the Garden rack. In handicaps
during the season there appeared to
be no limit to the start kiviat was
DI1b IA, ,riNrl ljS nn,,nnartS while no
further proved that all distances We're
alike to him by utilizing his speed
to help his club in relay races in
which he was called on to run only a
quarter Of a mile.
Although the performances of KiViat
completely put the other board floor
artists in the shade, there were times
when kolehmainen and w. j. Kramer
the CroSS-Country champion, We're in
the limelight. In the two brief weeks
when the Finn was at his best he
wiped ont American records from three
miles to five miles and at the New
York Athletic club games had the dis
tir elton of running the latter distance
faster than it ever had been covered
before, either indoors or outdoors,
Kramer fell a victim to kulehmainen
when the foreigner was at the top of
his form, but besides scoring many
wins in handicap events had the sat
isfaction of taking kolehmainen's
umbc in the tWo-mile championship,
which was the final test of greatness
for the distance men.
There is no denying that Koleh-
malncn was off form in the Champion
ship. As he went to his mark it was
noticed that he could scarcely put one
foot before the other, and it has been
announced since that he has retired
for the season owing to the pounding
! his legs received in the campaign on
the board floors. Someone appears to
be to blame for this, for there is no
reason why Il runner of koleh-
mainen's ability should be forced to
provide gate money attractions by
stamping around in 10-milc and hour
races. His downfall in an event that
would have brought him real credit
was brought aboGt by two trips t,
Buffalo, where he ran very long dis
tances against relay teams. A rest
probably will restorc this Wonderful
runner to his proper condition. but his
breakdown provides an object lesson
on the evils of transforming.