Evening star., 1941-02-16
4:07.4 in Baxter
Mile Done by
MacMitche|I
Competitive Record
Tied; D. 6. Runners
Share in SpoiIs
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Feb. 15.-Gregory
Rice, the toy bulldog from South
Bend, Ind, ran the fastest two miles
in the recorded annals of track COM
petition tonight, winning the New
York A. c. meets distance feature
in the phenomenal time of min
utes 534 seconds before a crowd of
$4,000 at Madison Square Garden.
In a strictly one-man show, Rice
not only blasted % seconds off his
own indoor mark, set on this same
track last March, but bettered the
best outdoor performance by &c sec
onds. That record, 1856 fiat, is held
by Miklos Szsbo of Hungary.
Rice had to set world record to
steal the spotlight, for his brilliant
exhibition came on the heels of
Leslie MacMitchells 4:07.4 Baxter
Mile, victory over Walter Mehl
gained by no more of q margin than
last-second breath that showed
MacMitchell's chest first into the
tape.
The two-mile was in complete
contrast. Rice took the lead with 18
laps to go and held it from there on.
Mel Trutt, imported from Des
Moines, Iowa. hung with him until
there were but two laps to go. Then
Rice cut loose, and at the finish he
was 40 yards in front and had Tapped
at least three of the field.
Rice'S triumph was his seventh
straight of the winter and four
teenth in succession over two indoor
seasons.
MacMitcheH Takes Mile.
Leslie MacMitchell, New York US
grand distance runner, took a deep
breath right at the finish line and
thereby won the Baxter mile in
4:074, equal to the competitive world
indoor record.
1t was no more than last-second
imitation of his barrel chest that
gave the 20-year-old kid from the
sidewalks of New York the decision
over Walter Mehl of Madison, Wis,
but it was enough to give him the
judges decision and win him a
rousing hand.
The world indoor record for the
mile is 4:044. set by Glenn Cunning
ham III a paced race at Dartmouth
March 3, 1898. But MacMitchell's
time was equal to the best ever re-
turned in a scratch race-firSt set
by Cunningham on this same track
March u, 1898, and equaled here
twice last season by Chuck FenSke.
Tonight Fenske didn't figure at
all. Before the three-quafter mark
was reached last years king Of the
milers had dropped out
This was the race for which Luigi
Beccali and Gene Venzke. both
members of the New York A. c., had
promised to set fast pace and they
did.
The little italian carried the field
through a 594-Second first quarter,
a 2:02 half and a 307.3 three-quar-
ters. The crowd roared. and Beccali
slipped off the track virtually un-
noticed. His share of the work was
done.
Venske, looking fresh and strong,
took over. Right on his heels was
Mehl, ShadoWed by MacMitchell
On the back stretch of the ninth
lap Mehl moved past Venzke. Mac
Mitchell moved with him. Coming
into the tenth lap it still was Mehl
and MacMitchell.
This time, on the back stretch,
MacMitchell struck out. He stream
ed past Mehl, and had two yards as
the bell rang for the last lap. Mehl
wasn't through and came up with
his own challenge. which he carried
right down to the tape.
In those last few strides Mac
Mitchell seemed 10 ease up for a
fraction. Perhaps he thought he
had more margin. Whatever the
reason, he needed that last inch of
chest expansion to hit the tape in
front. Venske finished third, Is
yards back. and John Munski of Co.
lumbia, Mo, was the only other
starter to finish.
KehOe Third to Borican.
Powerful John Borican hit his
accustomed midSeason stride for
the first time this winter as he ran
to a new meet and Garden record
in the famed Matt Halpin 880-yard
special.
Big John whipped a classy field
by 10 yards and up by crossing the
finish line In 1:526, two-tenths
under the mark first set by Russell
Chapman of Bates in 1881 and tied
year ago by Olympic Champion
John Woodruff, another Negro ace
Borican moved up from third
place into the lead with a lap and
half to go and never was chal-
lenged.
Chuck Beetham Of Columbus.
Ohio, was second, two yards in front
of Jim Kehoe of Washington A. A..
who led for most Of the way. but
limped in on a spiked ankle as
Beetham passed him on the first
turn of the bell lap.
Georgetown's varsity relay team
ran an exceptionally fast mile of
3:218 to score over Holy Cross and
Pittsburgh. The Hoya runners were
Newmyer, Williams, Lyden and Ain
wick. 1t was one of the best races
of the colorful program.
Blozis Shy of Record.
The big news of the 16-pound
shotput wasn't that Al Blozis of
Georgetown won, but that he fell
almost a foot short of his world
record The Hoya giant pitched the
ball 81 feet lis inches, compared
to his indoor mark of 55 feet 8ai
At that it was another meet
record, 1913 inches better than AIS
N. Y. A. C. effort of last year, which
was the world record until he
topped it.
Tommy Fields of the University of
Maryland, off a 50-yard handicap,
came up like blond streak in the
last lap at a half Of the handicap
2-mile run to take second place
only bare stride behind Anthony
(oA~ oYNr na~~ q Al