Evening star., 1932-03-06

N YOT since the days of Tom
nj Longboat, Johnny Hayes,
Y Dorando Pietri and Al
Shrubb-20-odd years age
has America viewed a collec-
ton OF marathon runners to COM
pare with the field that will as
semble from all parts of the
world for the Los Angeles Olym-
pics this Summer and a bit later,
it Is confidently hoped, for a race
in Washington.
The National A. A. U. will ex-
tend an invitation to all to COM
pete for the United States cham
pionship in a contest here, spon-
sored by The Star and featured
on the sports program Of the BIZ
centennial Celebration.
If the Olympic records are a safe
guide, not even the celebrated groul
that brought marathon running to q
peak some two decades ago would
match the brilliance Of this years
prospective field. Certainly there will
be several in the list who have beaten
by many minutes the time made by
John j. Hayes of the U. S. A. in the
memorable London race of 1908, in
which Dorando, the Italian. collapsed
was helped across the finish line and
disqualified
And not since then has an American
nlUYf1nfp VI
brings us around to the real subject OF
this piece-William Agee Of Baltimore
THE great Nurmi and the new fash
i of Finland, Latehnin; El Ouafi, the
Senegalese who carried the colors
Of France to victory in 1923 in close to
record time; formidable runners from
England, Sweden, Norway, Denmark
and Germany; from Japan and the
South American countries are prepar-
ing for the great test at Los Angeles
but Bounding Billy Agee of Baltimore
looms as a stumbling block for all.
On the face of it, bold statement
this, but consider that year ago this
spring, to win the National A. A. U
championship, Agee stepped the 2e
miles 385 yards in the second fastest
time ever recorded for an amateur. He
werp-2 hours 80 minuted and 35 As
Hannes Kolehmainen of Finland es-
tablished In the 1920 Olympics at Ant
werp-2 hours 80 minutes and Is As
seconds.
A BIT OF reserve power in a stride
n or two and the Baltimorean'
name would have superseded that
of the illustrious Kolehmainen in the
record book, and it's better tran an
even bet this will come to pass when
Agee runs his next full marathon
This will be in May in one Of the
three sectional tryouts to determine
the American representative In the
Olympic race. Agee not only is clnch
to win the preliminary contest, but is
considered almost equally certain to
break the world record If ne chooses
to try for 1t.
The race will be run over well nigh
perfectly fiat course on the Eastern
Shore of Maryland and will present a
far greater opportunity for speed than
the course on which Agee threatened
the record last year. The latter ex-
tended for the most part from Laurel
to Baltimore and some OF its hills were
heartbreakers, but Agee finished strong.
He covered the entire distance with the
steady. springy stride that makes him
remindful Of a bouncing rubber ball.
A GEES performance over the dim
n cult Laurel-to-Baltimore course
would be sufficient to make him a
respected contender for the Olympic
title, but add to that the following
facts learned from the young man yes
terday:
At the age Of 26 he looks forward
to eight years of competition before
reaching his prime as distance runner.
He ran his first race eight years ago
and has improved steadily ever since.
He has come along most rapidly in
the last three years, in each of which
he won the national 15-mile champion
ship.
In the last three years he has lost