Evening star., 1928-08-03
EXPECTS TOBEAT
RECORD IN EVENT
Thinks He Can Run Distance
in 2::25-0nIy Fear Is
for His Feet.
BY JoIE RAY.
(rAmouS Iona distance runner and chief
hone Of The United states IN the
Olympic marathon

Olympic marathon
AMSTERDAM. August ST came
over here to win the marathon. anc
when the starting gun goes I'll he II
there trying.
II eiphteen wears of competitive run
ming and a lifetime of training count
for enough Ill finish IN front They
say YOU can't beat the Dutch, but
am going 10 try TO beat the Dutch
SVeGes, Germans, FlnnS ana All tht
rest OF them. II the old feet hold out
III al least give them rum ior tnel
olive wreath
Nv desire to win certainly hasn't
been leSsened by the trimmings oui
bows have had to take over here III
the track events. Il doesn't make much
difference how stout a mans heart Is
If the other fellows legs are a 10;
stronger. I hope my legs are going
"a carry me through TO the finish line
in such shape that the other entrants
viii have 8 good view of the number ON
my back.
Climate Not SO Good.
Some things are in my favor. When
the marathon starts u have had more
time 10 get used 10 this climate Than
the Sprinteys and middle distance run
ners did IN their events. Whether that
Will help me ur ruin me remains 10 De
seer. Z en- the native sons over here
don't boast much about the Climate.
when We came ever the ship must nave
sailed down hill. because The land here
Is below sea level and the air Is ABOUT
as dry as night club before RAID.
Still, I figure can breathe II as Well
as the next fellow.
And ! love Ia run. I'd rather run
than eat. have told myself that Wnen
the time came that / hated 10 get out
on the road and train l would quit the
game 1t hasn't come vet
can hardly remember the day when
I couldn't run five miles easily and nat
urallv. Long distances have always been
easv for me. and / always have said that
for nv own satisfaction l was gong
10 run a marathon before l quit the
game for good. Well. ! have run two
rnarathons and won one Of them. Ny
great ambition is 10 win this olympic
marathon. That's the world series OF
marathons. It's the Oldest and biggest
Of them all.
Had Lot to Learn.
When I ran my first marathon 0lun I
know anything about running the as
fsnce or the conditions. / learned LOT
In that race My Judgment OF pace was
all right and SO we're my legs, out my
feet weren't in condition. hadn't hard
ened them to stand the pounding. and
! wore the wrong kind OF shoes.
In my second marathon l knew pet
Ter. I picked nv feet, the way the old
time fighter did his face ana han0S ano
they never bothered me from start 10
finish. / won that race. had found out
n1F ~
That experience should help me now.
A Greek won the first marathon. That
vss fair enough. as the Greeks started
the thing. but no Greek has won one
since. Twice Finn has finished IN
front. and France. Canada and South
Africa have q victory apiece.
T J. Hicks won for the United states
a, ST. Louis in 1904, but that Olympiad
was hardly representative OF the woriu
Our only ather winner vas Johnny
Haves. in 1903 They say things go IN
threes. l hope they are right. and that
this viii be our third Marathon victory.
T'd hate TO have Travelled all TINS way
lor nothing.
Speed Is Only Plan
have a plan which ought 10 win the
race. NY idea is 10 run just little
faster than the others.
know that there viii be some goo0
men in there Kolehmainen--I beat
rim in the first two-mile race / ever
rsn-ard Steinroos Of Finland are oio
campaigners. And they say Bricker OF
Canada Is a tough man 10 beat. But
I'm here in Amsterdam TO fulfiu the
ambition of lifetime and II my feet
hold up I won't ask odds Of any oi
them
AT Antwerp in 1920 Kolehma!nen ran
the Marathon in 2:32 :35 as, that's the
only time it's ever been run faster
than ! did II on Long Island II this
rsce / want 70 break the Finn's record
I figure that I ought 10 be able 70 dc
TIE course in hours and 25 minutes.
Then I'll be satisfied.
tcopyr8Rhe. 1923. by North American News
paper Alliance