Evening star., 1939-06-16
BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN.

Sr AHAALhNA -
LONDON, June Is (NA.NAD.-
If you could eat cinders, they prob
ably would be used for breakfast
food by sgd Wooderson, fastest of
all the great milers of all time who
races Saturday in the spectacular
special mile at Princeton.
Sydney elves track. 1t is his
meat and his drink and he spends
all of his spare time at it. And
that probably is one good reason
why this mild-looking young man
goes out week after week and makes
the tabled Nurmi look like a truck
horse.
The other reason is that Sydney
was born great natural athlete.
You can't work yourself into
running the mile in 406.4, the half
mile in 1:492, the 800 meters in
1;48.4, the 440 in 495 seccods and
the three-quatrers of a mile in
2:595. Sydney has done all of these
things during the last two years.
Gives Everything to Sport.
Sydney's routine should be a
model to all budding world cham
pions. He is sort of coach's dream,
the kind of fellow they are talking
about when they say you can't be
a champion unless you live the clean
life and give your all. Sydney gives
everything he has to be a top-rater.
Sydney left school in 1888 after
winning the public school cham
pionship in the mile in 4:298 This
corresponds to the American ma
tional interscholastic championship.
Since 1884 he has been working in
law Office, either studying law, or.
since last year, practicing as
lawyer.
Despite his work in the city, Sgd
ney has managed to keep in good
shape. His Office hours are from
10 am. to pm. Thereafter, four
times a week, he goes out to the
white city track and goes through a
stiff workout During the track sea-
son. which lasts about 10 weeks in
this country, Ne takes part in an
average of about 10 races. some of
which are handicaps, while others
are straight races of the American
kind. On Sundays he takes long
walks to keep his muscles timber.
Runs With Club Members.
In the winter time. the great
Wooderson forgets that he is a
champion and goes out for cross
country running with members of
his sports club the Blackheath
Harriers. They run over distances
up to 7l2 miles and Sidney keeps
in perfect shape for the summer
season when he goes in for records.
In January, 1888, he won the Kent
County cross-country champion
ships
Sydney supplements his exercise
during the winter by doing a lot
OF swimming, sport at which he
is just fairly good" Il simply do
1t for amusemunt and in order to
keep in trim" he says.
Watching Sydney and helping
him constantly are two great
friends to whom his World-record-
breaking performances are partly
due: His brother, "A. j." himself
a splendid 2-mile runner, who helps
to pace him, and A. G.. Hill his
trainer who used to make head
lines himself back in the days Just
after the war Hill won the 300
meters and the 1900 meters at the
1920 Olympics in Antwerp. Now the
former World-beater. who works at
night, spends many of his waking
hours in daylight helping to make
Sydney an even greater champion
than he ever was himself
Has no Other Amusements.
Sydney has no particular amuse-
ments other than his track work.
He doesn't smoke or drink. He isn't
married and wouldn't have much
time for matrimony at his present
pace.
Sydney, before he sailed. said he
was looking forward to his month
in the United States, during the
course of which he will meet the
test of his lifetime He hopes that
he will beat the cream of Americas S
great milers in the invitation race
at Princeton. But, no matter how
the race turns out, it is sure
thing that Sydney will do his best
and it is almost equally sure that
his hosts will be just as pleased
with him as he will be with them.
Another sure thing is that Messrs.
Cunningham, Venzke and other
prominents who will be among
those present will know that they
have been in a race.