The Washington times., 1930-06-27
PICK MARTIN
AND CONGER
As BEST

III OGOI
The coming national track and
field championships at Pittsburgh
should provide one Of the most
interesting and well-contested
mile races In the last five years.
Leo Lermond, Ray Conger, orval
Martin and George Bullwinkle
make up the quartet Of favorites,
and the honors will very likely
60 to one Of them.
All have enjoyed successful ca
reers on the cinder path. Martins
and Conger's success has been
more sustained than that of
their contemporaries and perhaps
more gratifying. The former has
taken the crosS-country mile and
two-mile prizes in Mid-WeStern
competition quite regularly in
recent years, and the latter has
enjoyed four or five season, in
doors and outdoors, carrying off
the spoils of victory.
Lermond, on the other hand,
like Bullwinkle, came to the
front with a sudden rush. From
q brilliant tWo-miler, virtually
unbeatable in his filed, he sud-
denly transformed himself into
q crack eight-furlong runner and
challenged the world. It mattered
not to the long-striding son Of
Boston that he lacked experience
at the mile. He wanted to try
his speed with the best in the
game, for he felt that he could
show them his heels.
A race was arranged with
COnger and Wide, and al
though it was LermOnd's Sec
Ond or third attempt at the
mile, he came within a few
feet of winning the event. Only
the superb ''kick" of COnger
kept him from realizing his
ambition. LermOnd'S time was
close to 4:14, q remarkable
performance in the light of
his experience at that dis
2 tance. -:
Following that memorable
debut Lermond began to pile up
victory after victory, showing the
same indomitable spirit that has
characterized his two-mile races.
He was a colorfu1 figure speeding
around the track, his long arms
and legs moving in a groteSquely
disconnected fashion and his
eyes glowing as though he were
running from a forest fire. But
he could run as few men can,
and on the last lap, when he
started to "open up" there was
no catching him until after he
passed the tape.
So successful was Lermond in
his mile campaign that he sought
other worlds to conquer in far
Australia. There, however, he
met the fate of most American
runners who visit the Antipodes.
The climate slowed him down
and he lost his most important
races by considerable margins.
In the half-mile he was beaten
by DR.. Otto Peltzer, and in 5he
mile championship at the Mel
bourne Club he was beaten badly.
Returning to this country, he
lost an important duel to Bull
winkle, who ran one of the fast
est three-quarter miles in history
to win the event. After that
came a defeat at the hands Of
his old rival, Cenger, at Phila-
deIphia. All Of which led the
track public to believe that Ler-
mond reached his peak some time
ago, and is now losing some OF
his speed. One may take that
opinion for what it is worth,
but Lermond's slump is due to
the fact Of overtraining.
He took racing so seriously
that he was virtually con-
sumed with it. He ran with
such whOIehearted effort that
it wasn't long before he ran
himself out.
Very likely though, the Boston
flier will be back in shape by
the time the national champion
ships roll around. He has ire
mendouS endurance, and comes
from inherently rugged stock. But
his comeback will be a difficult
one with Conger, Bullwinkle and
Martin vying for the ho1ors.
Conger, chief of the mile run
ners for the last few years, is
ann ~ tia cNsa q n.kn ncf fnnk 70 nnn.s