The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-02-16
When Fast" Meets "West" Fo,. e Mile
CUNNINGHAM AND
 BOUTHRON MEET
 ON INDOOR TRACK
Victory for Kansan Will Stamp Him Greatest
 American Miller
By JIMMY DONAHUE NEA Service Sports Writer

NILkA gyGhNANO 0ASOA 70 WNAAuA~E
 New York.--"To be or not to be" the greatest miller in the United States is the challenge confronting Glen Cunningham, the flame In- dian" athlete of the University of Kansas, and Bill .Bonthron, the smiling whirlwind from Princeton.
 The inaugural meeting of these two will take place here Saturday, February 17, in the New YorkJA. c. games. The following payday they will face each other again in the National A. A. U. games, and a possible third duel is set for March during the running of the l. c. A meet.
 To say that these two milers will race for top honors is to go out on a limb. But in view of Cunning hams performance this year, the venture isn't too hazardous. At the start of the season Glenn elimi- mated his other chief threat-Gene Venzke, the Penn sophomore.
 Venzke, after winning the Bos- ton K. of c. mile in handy fash ion against a mediocre field, met Cunningham in the Wanamaker mile of the Millrose games. His jinx from the western plains, rum ming a smart race, clipped off 4:11.2 mile to win easily.
 Venzke has beaten Cunningham once in two years, and while hold ing the indoor record with a 4:10 mile, he is practically convinced that the westerner is the better miller. Just before he lost the Wanamaker mile, Gene announced he would retire from mile compe- tition if beaten by Cunningham, and would concentrate on the two- mile event. However, he appar- enHy has reversed that decision, and will race against the Kansan and Bonthron in the coming meets.
 Cunningham's chief competition, then, will come from Bonthron, the kid who broke a world record in finishing second in 8 mile race last summer. Bill followed Jack Love- lock, Australian, across the finish line when the boy from down un- der set a. new world mile mark of 4:8.2. The Princeton lad was only a few seconds slower.
 Bonthron's performance in this mile would indicate that he can take Cunningham, because the Kansan has nothing like that out door mile mark to his credit.
 c But there are several reasons why that won't happen. The first is that Glenn isn't 0 clock runner. He doesn't time his laps, and he doesn't set out to establish any new records. He runs always within one or two strides of the leader, saving enough stamina to put on g. finish dash and pass a spent front runner.
 Lawson Robertson, Penn track coach and Olympic mentor in 1882, has remarked that if Cunningham were a clock runner he could prob- ably do mile in 4:6.
 Cunningham has done the out side mile in close to 4:9, without watching the clock. He merely let others lead and didn't have to ex- tend himself to win. Running against time, he might have done better. His 4:12 mile indoors last season was the fastest of the year.
 Cunningham's experience on the boards, where he has been pound- ing for more than month now, is figured handicap to Bonthron, who has competed in only one in- door race this season.
 All things considered, Cunning ham should cop the first two meet ings between them, with Bonthron catching his stride in the last-if he enters the I. c. 4A-and giving Glenn a run for his dough.