Harper's Round Table, July 16, 1895

by Various

At last I have the much-needed space to answer the many questions that have been pouring in for some time past, and also the discussion of a number of interesting subjects that are unfortunately shut out during the season of active interscholastic contests. These will resume in August with the tennis tournament at Newport, followed by the opening of the football season everywhere.

What I want to speak of principally this week is 'cross-country running. It is a branch of sport that receives far too little attention from school and college athletes in this country, yet is one of the oldest, simplest, and healthiest pastimes on the calendar. In England it has been popular for years, where there are a number of 'cross-country running clubs of long standing, but in America we have known the sport scarcely twenty years, and not very intimately at that. It was first introduced to us in 1878 by some members of the old Harlem Athletic Club, their first paper-chase being held on Thanksgiving day of that year. The American Athletic Club then took it up, and later, in 1883, the New York Athletic Club held a race for the individual championship of the United States. The sport became firmly established in 1887 with the organization of the National 'Cross-Country Association of America. This is a very brief history of the sport; but it is brief of necessity, for 'cross-country running is still in its youth.

There are two kinds of 'cross-country running—the paper-chase, sometimes called hare and hounds, and the club run over a fixed course. In the former there should be two "hares," a "master of the hounds," and two "whips." The hares carry a bag of paper torn up into small bits, and it is their duty with this paper to lay a fair and continuous trail from start to finish, except in the case of the break for home. The master of the hounds runs with the pack, and has full control of it. In other words, he is the captain. He sets the pace, or, if he chooses, he can appoint any other hound to do so. It is usual to travel no faster than the slowest runner in the pack. The whips are chosen from among the strongest runners, because it is their duty to run with the hounds, and to keep laggards up with the bunch, or assist those who become seized with the idea that they cannot move another step. These five men are, so to speak, the officers of the chase. There may be any number of hounds.

The hares are usually allowed from five to ten minutes' start of the pack, and as soon as they get out of sight they begin to lay the trail. They choose their own course, but they are not allowed to double on their track, and they must themselves surmount all obstacles over which they lay the trail. They may cross fordable streams only, and must always run within hailing distance of each other. With the hounds the master takes the lead, following the trail, and the pack is supposed to keep back of him until the break for home is ordered. The break is usually made about a mile from home. It should never be started at a greater distance than that, because it is generally a hard sprint all the way. The point from which the break begins is indicated, as a rule, by the hares' dropping the bag in which they have been carrying the paper, or by scattering several handfuls of paper different in color from that which has been used to lay the trail. As soon as the break is ordered the pack gives up all formation, and each man runs at his best speed. If at any time during a chase the pack catches sight of the hares, it may not make directly for them, but must follow the trail, thus covering the same ground gone over by the hares. It frequently happens in an open country that the hounds are actually within a few hundred yards of the hares, but perhaps half a mile behind them along the trail. Such an occurrence always adds excitement to a run.

It is advisable for the hares, the day before a run is to be held, to get together and lay out in a general way the course they intend to follow. A great deal of the pleasure and interest, as well as the benefit in a run, depends upon this. The more varied the course the less tiresome will be the chase. Try to select one that will pass over hills and through woods, with occasionally a short run along a flat road for a rest. To add to the excitement, lay your course across a few streams that have to be jumped or waded. If a runner falls into the water, his ducking will do him no harm if he keeps on exercising and gets a good rub-down when he reaches home. The pace going up hill should never be more rapid than a slow jog-trot; but running down, take advantage of the incline and hit the pace up as fast as you choose. This will make up for all the time lost in the ascent.

The length of the course should be determined by the strength and proficiency of the runners. It is bad to attempt to indulge in long runs at first. I would advise those who intend to take up 'cross-country running this fall—for the autumn is the prime season for that sport—to practise trotting a mile or two once or twice a week between now and then, just to get the muscles hardened. Don't do too much running in the summer, because the air is not so bracing then and the heat causes evil results. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, after the football season, when there is nothing particular going on, before the snow has come, and while the roads are hard and the hills at their best, then is the time for 'cross-country running. Then, if you are in good condition, you can have a chase of five or eight miles that will make you feel like a fighting-cock, and will not stiffen you up the next day. It is far better to make two or three short runs in various sections each week, rather than to make one long run once a week—a long run that leaves you aching and sore.

The club run is very much like the paper-chase, except that no scent is laid. It is more of a race among individuals. A course is laid out across country by means of stakes with flags nailed to them, and the runners must follow this as faithfully as they would a paper trail. The rules for this kind of run are the same as for the chase. There are, of course, a great many minor regulations which it is impossible to set down here; but, after all, unless you want to go into the sport scientifically, or to get up contests for prizes, the fewer rules you have the better. Let common-sense be your guide, and you will be pretty sure to come out all right in the end.

As to the outfit required for 'cross-country running, little needs to be said. Every runner has his own views about what suits him best. In runs for exercise, knicker-bockers, stout shoes, heavy woollen stockings, and a flannel shirt are usually worn. The stockings should be heavy, so as to resist being torn by thorns and briars, and the sleeves of the shirt ought to be of a good length for the same reason. In club runs, experts who are in for making the greatest possible speed sometimes wear light shirts with no sleeves, and regular running shoes without any stockings. They reach home with their arms and legs scratched and torn from contact with bushes and twigs, and their knees bruised from climbing over stone walls. This sort of thing may be all very well for those who make labor of their recreation, but it does not pay for the amateur sportsman. Be contented with getting exercise, and let others look after the records.