Evening star., 1932-02-19
GENES FINAL DRIVE
! POLISHED BY MIKE
Boy Now Mile Mark Holder
Was Consistent "Second"
in Brooklyn Races.
BY WALTER TRUMBULL.


M Gene Venzke, the 23-year-
l Y old schoolboy, who, at the
New York Athletic Club
games, ran the second fastest mile
with which any human officially
Is credited, has further ambitions
A mile in 4:10 would satisfy most
youngsters, but it does not satisfy
Venzke.
Having beaten Paavo Nurmi'S
best time for the mile indoors by
two seconds and the Flying Finns
best outdoor time by two-f1fths
Of q second, Gene proposed to an
noy DR.. Otto Peltzer, the German
Before returning to resume his
studies at the Boyertown High School,
Venxke admitted that he had his eye
on the 1,5o0-meter record. To be ex-
act, he probably was not referring to
the world record of 3:5l, made by Pelt-
Fer, but to Lloyd Hahn's indoor record
of 3 minutes $50 seconds. Some day
he might beat them both.
Asks for 1900 Meter Race.
Venzke will run the mile in the A.
A. U. championships at the New York
Garden Monday evening, but against
extremely fast time. But in the
Knights Of Columbus games on Febru-
ary 27 he will run the $500 meters,
and he has requested those in charge
Of the intercollegiate meet on March S
to include the 1,500-meter race in their
program.
The reason Venzke IS especially in
terested in this latter meet is that the
!. c. 4-A's is credited with having the
fastest indoor track in the country.
Usually this intercollegiate meet is held
in the 1929 Armory, but this year it is
to be held in the KingSbridge Armory,
constructed as a Six-lap track.
Paul Pilgrim of the New York Ath-
letic Club, in his day Olympic cham
pion at 400 and 800 meters, thinks
that there Is no question that Venzke
some day will run faster, that he can't
miss. And he says that, from the angle
OF past performance, Gene will be as
good or better outdoors than indoors.
Sweeney Develops Gene.
Pilgrim Rrst saw Venzke when the
latter was working as mechanic in
Brooklyn and running In Sunday road
races. The boy Immediately caught
the expert eye. He was natural"
That smooth, space-eating style was
his from the first.
But to Mike Sweeney Of Hill School
goes the credit of making Gene Venzke
into a world beater. Gene had been
running well, but taking seconds. He
didn't know how to finish. 1t was
Sweeney who heightened his stride and
taught him how to get that final drive.
Venzke persuaded Sweeney to take him
in hand. After seeing him run a bit,
Sweeney was not hard to persuade.
Venzke is a blond, rangy 6-footer,
we'll built and with fine leg develop
ment. His stride is longer than Nur-
Nurmi carried his arms high and
worked them with sort Of a punching
motion. Venzke appears to get more
sideways molten, more sway and lift.
Nurmi carried a stop watch. but
Venxke judges his pace by the time Of
the quarters, shouted by the timer.
Shy of Reporters.
He is an extremely modest youngster.
polite, but with no real enthusiasm for
reporters. II he sees them first, he
does nothing to attract their attention.
1t Is stated en- good authority that
when he was told woman reporter
wished to interview him. he broke the
4:92 world record for the mile. held
by Jules Ladoumegue, the Frenchman.:
This was unofficial timing, but Paul
Pilgrim predicts that Gene will break
Iat nfS iol N SIGHT
cheering thousands.
Mike Sweeney charts all races for
Venxke. In the Millrose mile Gene was
supposed to run the first half in 2:06,
but he misjudged his pace and ran 1t a
fraction over 2:03. Then he ran the
second half in about 2:08. In the New
York Athletic Club games Venzke did a
peculiar thing. He came close to his
schedule in the first half. running 1t in
2:o6.6. but then he ran the second half
in 2:034, some three seconds faster.
Crowd Inspired venzke.
Questioning discloses that what really
spurred Venzke to q record was not the
nne. fast field in the race which fur
nisfed real early competition. but the
crowd. Shortly after the first half OF
the race had been run the spectators
senSed that they were watching cham
pion make history and suddenly began
to YELL Venzke's first thought was that
Leo Lermond must be racing up on him,
and he commenced to lengthen out.
A quick glance didn't show any Ler-
mond at his shoulder, but the crowd
kept on yelling, and he thought Leo
must be there Just the same. Then he
got a good look, saw that he was out in
front alone and realized that the crowd
must be cheering because he was close
to the record That gave him tnspira-
ton for the great final sprint.
Venzke takes little pride in the fact
that he was good mechanic. He ad-
mits that it was not easy for boy, not
in afiuent circumstances, to give up
job which averaged $40 per week, to
enter school at an age at which most
boys are in college.
After College Course.
But he has a real ambition to be a
COLLEGE man himself, and this was the
road he had to take. Venzke wants to
take a course in physical education. and
the chances are that he will head for
PENNSYLVANIA or New York University.
There is good ground for suspicion
that he not only is going after the
1500-mater mark. but that Scme day
you may hear Of his running the half
mile. He will not say much about 1t.
The best he will do is to admit that lie
can run the half pretty fast" but he
will not give any time.
This Gene Venzke Is good looking,
likable, attractive youngster, and very
great runner.