The Washington times., 1937-03-18
Cunningham
Pr0vesWorth
As Runner
By DAVID ]. WALSH


the right to feel proud of its relay
team composed of Leroy Green,
Vincent Healy, George Began and
Jim McPoland, for last night, in
the K. of C.'s st. Patrick night
games here, in Madison Square
Garden. the Hoya quartet Of quar-
ter-milers broke the Garden record
for the mile and stepped the dis
tance in 8 minutes 81 and three
tenth seconds to defeat Manhat-
tan's sturdy four composed OF
Casey, Riordan, Reilly and Lun-
dell.
Boston College, third contender
in the outstanding mile relay race
of the night, was diStanced by
both GEORGETOWN and Manhattan.
After the starting gun, Green,
of the Hoyas, trailed Casey. Healy,
second GeorgetoWner to carry the
baton, also trailed his opponent,
Riordan. After Began took the
baton, he trailed in second posi-
ton for two laps but then sprinted
ahead of Reilly and gave the
final Hoya runner, McPoland, q
yard advantage, which the latter
held despite sensational effort
by Lundell to overtake him.
Proves Worth
The greatest mile runner in all
the history Of competition is
Glenn Cunningham, of Kansas,
and he proved it last night in the
K. of C. games by winning what
was probably the greatest mile
ever run in 4:08 ITO, one-tenth Of
a second back Of his record. Two
yards away was the other Kansan,
Archie San Romani, in a little
worse than 4:06 $40. He was a
dying foot in front Of Luigi Bee
cali, of Italy, with Gene Venzke,
soundly outrun, in last place.
Two men beat 400, another
beat All. But nobody beat Cum
ningham and it is now my con-
sidered opinion that nobody can,
and I don't bar Lovelock at his
best. AS a matter of fact, it
would be interesting to reverse the
reel on the last eight months and
run the Olympic games all over
again.
At Wrong Time
If you did, I'd almost have to
take Don Lash, of Indiana, against
the Firms. He couldn't move fast
enough at Berlin to get out Of the
way Of a wheel barrow, but last
night he was full of run in doing
900 9-10 for two miles and could
have combed his hair while beat
ing his own 1858, the fastest two
miles ever run.
Unfortunately for the prestige of
American distance running, our
guys just happened to get right at
the wrong time. That mile, for
instance. It's the first within
memory where everybody in the
race beat 4:10-thankS, incident
ally, to San Romani.
It's the first time recall him
running in front. 1t probably will
be the last. Somebody evidently
steamed" Archie up to make the
effort of a lifetime, probably with
the idea that he would nip the
record-and he almost did. He
led every stride of the way until
the last $50 yards, at which point
the faultleSS Cunningham stepped
up the pace through the back.
stretch, led at the turn and went
away to win.
But it wasn't as simple as that
San Romani came again on the
turn and tried to close on Cunning.
ham in the stretch, only to see
Glenn stand him off with a
counter-effort. Noting this, San
Romani pulled up and was almost
caught by Beccalis closing rush,
that part of it being understand.
able enough.
But what I can't fathom Is
why San Romani didn't make
his run on the backStretch. He
still had something left, as he
proved on the final turn, and
the time to use it was on that
tell-tale 10 yards of straight.
away, where the leader either
holds or loses the pole-and wins
or loses the race.
But then who am I to com
plain about a man who runs the
fastest mile of his life and, in
all other ways. makes possible
the greatest of all mile races?
The last half was done ir
2:03 $40. the last quarter ir
SO $40, with San Romani doing
the forcing. He passed the first
quarter pole in 81; then did 81
each for the next two.
In fact, the order of running
San Romani, Beccalli. Cunning
ham and Venzke-didn't change
for almost nine laps, at which
point Cunningham jumped Bee
cali. In other words, they lef
everything as usual to the las
ia laps, but make no mistake
about that; when they did pu
it on, nothing was left out.