The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-06-22
Competition
Here Lacking

New York. June GINS On.
less Gunder Hagg can be at or ap.
proach his records his American
tour is going to be a sad flop.
The Swede is so good that ev.
erything, depends entirely upon
him. BY this time 1t seems to be
, evident that he isn't going to get
any competition. We can talk
about Greg Rice getting into shape
for 5000 meters and about Gil
Dodds running him at a mile. or
the equivalent thereof But. as a
matter Of fact. he stands alone
all by himself.
Moreover, Rice leaves imme-
diately on q tour of duty at sea
as a member of the Merchant Ma
rine Academy, Kings Point, n. Y,
and he will have no chance TO
train for a comeback effort against
the man called Gunder the Thund-
er and Hagg the Leg.
Dodds meantime might just as
well save himself from the rigors
OF trying to get into shape for
clash at a shorter distance against
the man who made his American
debut on Sunday with a 40 yard
win over Rice at 5000 meters.
Everybody might just as we'll
sit back and let the Swede go, es-
pecially inasmuch as he has an
nounced that from here on out he
plans to attack records every time
he races. Those records are his
own. He made them once. He
probably can repeat But even IL
he can't he still is going to be too
fast for our runners
Gunder the Thunder is Just what
his advance notices claimed for
him-the greatest runner that ever
lived.
He can salvage his American
tour by approaching or breaking
records here and there as he goes
along. People will pay to see him
run against the clock even with
the element of competition remov-
ed. But he is on his own.
II he personally flops, the tour
flops with him. He is confronted
by the job OF running every race
at such a pace that his next APP
pearance will pack IN the custo-
mers. We might as we'll admit all
this: that we can't send out any
body to compete against him and
that he is Juggling the ball for the
war funds strictly on his own.
This Swede lis out Of this
world" as one New York track
and field expert put 1t. He runs
with the feathery tread of sprite.
They used to call Gene Venzke of
Penn the dream runner. but Ven
IKE. who was far inferior to the
Swede on the clock, never saw
the day when he could tear over
the ground with such ease as this
greatest OF all runners.
The sheer excellence OF his class
may attract customers wherever
he appears. II not, he is going to
run to lot of haunted houses. The
longer he stays with us the bet
ter he will get and finally he will
be trying for records strictly on
his own.
There is a report now that soon
err or later before he returns to
Sweden he will try to run a mile
in less than four minutes He has
friends among the Swedish news
paper men who say he can't miss
II he is in top shape and condi-
tions are right.
He will run a mile in 35S," one
Of them said with utter conf.
dence
II will he worthwhile sitting in
on the performance the day he
tues IT, In the first place he
will do it II he has set
his mind upon 1t, and secondly,
even II he fails, his run will be
worth watching. He is that kind
Of a runner
Wherever ne may be running,
go watch him II you are interest
ed in track and field You'll never
regret II. This comes from one
who positively can take his track
and field or skip It.