Evening star., 1948-02-01
National Champ
Nips0wn Mark
In 4:05.3 Race
Cuts More Than Full
Second Off STANDARD
Before $4,000 Fans
BY the Asseelotsd Press

NEW YORK, Jan. 31.-National
Champion Gilbert Dodds shattered
his own world indoor mile record
tonight by winning the Wanamaker
Mile at the Millrose indoor track
and field games in Madison Square
Garden in 1858, cutting more than
a full second from the previous
mark of 4:06.4 set in 1914.
The 29-year-old ordained minister
won by 10 yards over his closest
opponent to hang up his Goth con-
secutive indoor mile triumph as the
sellout gathering of $4,000 spectators
yelled themselves hoarse.
His Ave opponents, representing
the class of the remaining milers in
the country today, never had a
prayer against the racing reverend
from the plains of Nebraska, who
does his running for the Boston
Athletic Association.
Fastest by U. S. Citizen.
In cracking his own world
standard, Dodds travelled the fast
est competitive mile ever run by a
U. S. Citizen.
Glenn Cunningham, the former
Kansas fiier. was clocked in 4:O4.4
in a special event at Dartmouth
College in 1888. but that effort was
a paced affair on a track measuring
only 625 laps to the mile.
Dodds' time tonight. made on
the standard Garden track which
measures II laps to the mile,
eclipsed the previous U. S. citizens
record of 4:06 held by Bill Hulse of
the New York Athletic Club.
1t also equalled the American out
door record of 1858 set by Gunder
Haegg of Sweden at Cambridge,
Mass, July "a, 1943.
Hulse's 4:06 was established at
Berea. Ohio, July 81, 1S43, when he
was beaten by Haegg.
Dodds Spread-Eagles Field.
So completely did Dodds spread
eagle his field tonight that his five
opponents were strung out almost
completely around the 160-yard
banked board track at the finish.
Bill Mack of Michigan State,
runnerup in both the National
AAU. indoor and outdoor miles
last year, finished second, 10 yards
behind Dodds and 80 yards in front
of Leslie MacMitchell OF the New
York A. c.. who was another 20
yards in front of Browning Ross of
Villanova.
Quentin Brelsford of Ohio Wes-
leyan staggered home in fifth place
and Gerry Karver of Penn State,
holder of the National AAU, NCAA
and IC4A outdoor mile titles, was
a surprising last.
Undefeated since he lost to Frank
Dixon in the New York K. of C..
games in March, 1943, Dodds' un-
broken string also includes five tri-
umphs at other distances in addi-
ton to his 20 consecutive mile wins.
He forged in front at the outset
tonight and increased his lead at
virtually every step as he simply ran
his opponents bowlegged.
Turns First Quarter in 5S.4.
He turned the first quarter mile
in a sizzling 58.4 seconds, passed the
halfway mark in zoos and when
his quarter time of 3:03.9 was
over the public address
system the crowd sensed a record
and gave him all the vocal help it
could.
Karver held second position
through the first four laps Mac
Mitchell was third at the beginning,
but dropped back as Brelsford took
third place, only to yield it to Mack
in the fourth lap.
BY the time he had reached the
fifth lap, Dodds held a 25-yard
lead. Mack moved into second place
with the others far behind. Mac
Mitchell jumped into the third posi-
ton, but with nearly half of the
race yet to be won it was only a
question of how many yards DoddS
would be ahead at the finish.
At the end of the 10th lap, Dodds
had boosted his lead to SIS yards.
Although nobody was within shout
ing distance of him, he went for the
record with a sprint he never dis
(See DODDS, Page B-3D