New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-12
Captures Junior Cross
Country Honors After
Five Futile Efforts.
HENIGAN, OF BOSTON.
SECOND AT FINISH
Springsteen Makes Pace in Van
Cortlandt Park Run, but
FalterS Near the End.

pounced INTO fame in the Olympic Mar
aihon race at Stockholm. in 1912, capt
ured the junior national 'cross-country
championship title in the annual race
al Van Cortlandt Park. and clipped
more than a minute of the record
which WAS made a year ago by Nick
Gianakopulos.
Strobino finished with a terrific
sprint in the last half m'le. shatter-
ing the old marx Of 33 minutes 40 sec
onds by minute and six seconds. His
time was 81 minutes 81 seconds for
SIX miles of the toughest OF rough
'cross-country running.
And Strobrno did his share in bring
ing the team victory TO the New York
Athletic Club, which carried off the
honols with 4 total of SO points. The
Dorchester Club, of Boston, was sec
ond; the Millrose A. A., third; the Mo-
hawk \. C., fourth; the Mercury A. C.,
OF Philadelphia, fifth, and the Bronx
Church House, sixth
Stroblno came through 10 his first
victory IN the junior nationals after
I'VE failures TO achieve the honor.
There was some doubt when he start
ed yesterday as 10 whether he would
be IN the first trio, but his steady,
frictlonless stride wore down all oppo-
sltion In the last two miles Of the
grind, and he flashed across the tape.
some sixty yards ahead OF James Hen
igan, Of the Dorchester Club of Bos-
ion, who was second
Russell Springsteen, OF the Yonkers
\. NJ. {. A.. who faltered in the final
stretches OF the senior national race
over the same course last Saturday.
finished third, legwesry and wellnigh
exhausted. For fou- miles he set the
pace. trying 70 shake oil the logged
Strobino and the plucky Henigan. At
times he raced out ffty. sixty, and
even scyenty-five yards IN the van,
but not once Was he able 70 discour-
age the two plucky lads who fought
off defeat, and when the test came il
was Sprngsteen who, worn down By
has ncessant pacemaking. broke and
fell back. He raced TO the end, but
third place was all he could get.
Despite the presence Of the much
discussed water jump and the absence
Of a team from the rish-Americsn
a. c., the run was the most success
been held in years. TIE fact that two
out-of-town clubs the Dorchester
Club, Of Boston, and the Mercury A.
c., of Philadelphia sent full teams
TO the line. drew more .han the usual
amount Of interest to the race. and
the stirring battle that was waged
by Sprngsteen, Strobino and Henigan
added the touch that was needed TO
make IN a really great contest
As for the water jump, many went
forth TO discover j., but few found
II. Instead of a span Of heaving. bill
lowy waves, the jump was over the
most forlOrn little brook that The
Bronx can boast. How unresisting il
was can be gained from the fact that
IL boosted not a single stepping stone,
and one stride, and stride not neces-
sarly unhampered by the tightest-ft-
ting hobble, was more than sufficient
to clear the inofensiye little rivulet.
Needless 20 say, there were no fatal
ties and no duckings, although pessi-
mistic representations had almost
caused the championship committee 20
resuryey the course, leaving out the
jump.
When the forty-s,ven runners en-
tered for the race scooted out from
the shelter house TO the starting line
wind that seemed 10 be coming di-
rect from the Arctic knitted its way
across the plains. There were close
70 two thousand spectators 1t the line,
and they formed a windbreak for the
scantily clad runners as they shiyered
waiting for the starting gun.
Hughic Honohan, Of the New York
A. c.. was the first to shoot away from
- go 81 kur kaI
AZ the turn past the old mansion house
Springstcen, Pat Flynn, Of the Irish
American club: Henigan, Strobino and
Charley Pores, Of the Millrose A. A.,
we're right At his heels, and Spring
steen. 70 whom the course was as a
el-thunb bed book, danced out into the
lead at the bottom Of the long climb up
the golf links. By this time, although a
half mile had been covered, the pack
was strung out for more than three
hundred yards.
Springsteen was the first to mount
the heights. and he Strengthened out
for the long run along the aqueduct
twenty-five yards ahead of Henignn,
who was leading Pat Flynn by ten
Yards. Strobino was fourth and Pores
ffth. Honohan had already dropped
back TO tenth place.
Il was not long before Henigan and
FLYNN had moved up closer TO Spring
stcen, with StrObino still IN fourth
place. Springsteen fought of every
challenge and reached the water Jump
about a dozen yards ahead OF Henigan
and Flynn. Here 1t was that Honohan
began TO weaken. and the climb over
the ridge was too much for him. But 10
was on this climb that Strobino began
10 show his real worth, and by the time
the leaders mad begun the coast down
20 the plains again for the completion
Of the first lap the little fellow had
slipped past Flynn into third place and
was treading right on the heels Of
Springsteen and Henigan.
Springs cen crossed the tape FOR the
end Of the first round in is minutes
3 s-5 seconds. Following the leaders
were Alderman, in sixth place, and
Bell, Horne, Robertson and Frank luna.
competing as an individual, in order.
Flynn dropped out after running three
miles and went back 20 the dressing
rooms.
The second lap. for the first mile and
a half, was much like the first. Spring
steen set burning pace. and Strobino
and Henigan were right behind him il
every sprint. II was al the four and a
half mile mark that Springsteen shot
his bolt. lie launched a sprint that
wal meant to spell the end for Strobino
and Henigan, but he reckoned without
his opposition. ard Strobino, waiting
for Just ch an opportunity, out
sprinted Springsteen and took the lead.
Facing down the long SLOPE TO the
water Jump Strobino increased his lead
by leaps and bounds, and Springstee
found he had his hands full keeping on
Continued on page 2. column 5