Pelham, bounding away in front with his gigantic strides, led by several yards until the first quarter had been completed, when the others began to draw upon him, Slade being in front of Hill and Elborough acting as whipper-in. Along the top stretch, 250 yards from home, Slade closed upon Pelham and took the lead into the straight. Once well into the straight Hill made his effort, however, rushed past the pair, and took a lead of several yards. Then came the shouts for Elborough; the champion was seen striding up to Hill, and a hundred yards from home he took the lead. Hill, however, ran with the greatest determination, and chased the winner home, being only beaten by about three yards. Half-a-dozen yards or so behind Hill came Slade, and about an equal distance behind Slade came Pelham, all four finishing within 2 minutes, Elborough's time being 1 min. 57 1/2 sec, Hill's 1 min. 58 sec, and Slade's and Pelham's a shade inside 1 min. 59 sec. and 2 min. respectively. Here, as in other cases when good men meet, they serve to extend each other, and some fine performances are the result.

In 1877 Elborough was beaten at 1,000 yards by C. Hazen-wood, a Northern runner, who afterwards came to London. The latter, like the others we have mentioned, although a fair miler, was only first class at the medium distances. Of his powers while still a provincial runner many tales are told, and he is freely credited by some of his admirers with having done 1 min. 56 sec. or thereabouts in practice. He was a small man, with by no means a taking style, and after he came to London certainly never displayed any remarkable performance. We believe that when he defeated Elborough he was better trained than any amateur before or since; for, according to one enthusiastic admirer, he was so fit that his face and skin absolutely shone.

In 1881 when Myers paid his first visit to England he met the best English cracks at half a mile at Stamford Bridge in June, and after forcing the pace for three-quarters of the distance left the others as if standing still and won at his ease in 1 min. 56 sec. That Myers could have knocked off a second or two from this record if pressed we have very little doubt, and his easy win was hardly wonderful. What is more wonderful was that the second and third men, S. H. Baker and S. K. Holman, both sterling good runners, but who had never got within 2 minutes before, were so far 'pulled out' by having the pace forced by a better man that both, we believe, finished the distance well within 1 min. 59 sec. Neither Baker nor Holman, however, was in our opinion so good at half a mile as William Birkett, the champion of 1883, who was a veritable half-miler, being too heavy in build to be as successful at a mile. Birkett was a tall, broad-shouldered man with much stay and strength, and was probably better than any of the half-milers who have run during the last few years, with the possible exception of George, whose semi-professional training even while he was an amateur made him too good even at the shorter distance for any other amateur under ordinary circumstances.

Recently, however, the Oxonian, F. J. K. Cross, has surpassed all previous performers by covering a half-mile at Oxford in the spring of 1888 in 1 min. 54 3/5 secs.

In training for long-distance races, in which category we should place those at a mile and upwards, improvement of speed is of course the object of attainment as in every other race, but the improvement is that entirely which comes from increased staying powers and wind; and for the purposes of training it is these latter alone which must be cultivated. The system of training, therefore, is substantially the same in kind as that we have recommended for the half-mile runners; and as the miler is necessarily one who is possessed of natural stamina, he is able to bear the increased amount of exercise and longer spin, which he must necessarily get through to acquire the requisite strength of muscle and lungs. The system for all training for long distances, to describe it shortly, is to take continual and daily spins of half a mile and upwards, the pace being gradually increased as the man finds he can stand it. If the runner takes a long spin or a very fast spin one day and finds upon turning out the next day that he feels slack from the previous day's exercise, he will do well to take an easier day's work on that occasion. The same system in the main will apply whatever the distance to be run, only if it be a very long distance the daily spins must be lengthened correspondingly.