In addition to the preceding British meetings, a great International contest, the Olympic Games, is held every four years in a country selected by the Olympic committee. This meeting is truly international, the last before 1914
having taken place at Stockholm in 1912, when representatives from the most distant parts of the world competed with representatives from every country in Europe in a remarkably elaborate programme, which included, in addition to the preceding, such feats as throwing the javelin and the discus, and the classic 'Marathon race' over the traditional distance of 26¼ miles. The 1920 Olympic meeting was arranged to take place at Antwerp.
Although many excellently arranged athletic sports are held successfully upon a grass course, at any important meeting the races are contested upon a properly-constructed cinder-path, a quarter or a third of a mile in length, and in shape an oval flattened on two sides so as to include as much straight as possible. The width of the running path is variable, but 18 to 24 feet may be regarded as an average. The centre is of grass, and spaces are prepared for the hurdle race, for the jumps, and the other events which are described as the field, as opposed to track, events.
Flat races are classified as 'sprint races', 'middle distance' and 'long distance' races, although the distinction between these is somewhat arbitrary. Whether or no a man is actually capable of running the whole distance in question at full speed, the term 'sprint' is applied to those distances in which an attempt is made to put forth a continuous maximum effort. The limit is, by general consent, fixed at 300 yards. At any good meeting the 100-yards race will be run in 10 seconds; at the very best meeting this time will be beaten; and many runners have been credited with 94/5 seconds, a few, under exceptional conditions, with 93/5 seconds. The record for 220 yards is 211/5 seconds. Middle-distance running includes races from a quarter mile to a mile, and races are held at 440 yards, 600 yards, 880 yards, 1000 yards, 1 mile, and very occasionally at ¾ mile. With modern specialization, however, it is rare to find any one runner capable of supremacy at more than one of these distances. The ¼ mile is the common ground for the sprinter and the middle-distance runner, and 48 seconds has been beaten on several occasions, although it may be said that anything inside 50 seconds is a first-class performance. The record for 600 yards is 1 minute 11 seconds. The ½-mile race has demonstrated latterly, perhaps, the greatest advance of all; and whilst anything under 2 minutes may still be regarded as a good performance, a championship event will most always be won in 3 or 4 seconds faster time; whilst at an Olympic meeting the wonderful record of 1 minute 52½ seconds has been made. The mile, which was originally regarded as a long-distance event, is now legitimately considered as within the capacity of a middle-distance runner. At any first-class meeting 4 minutes 20 seconds will be accomplished, and any diminution of this time may be regarded as of superlative merit. The record, which has stood since 1886, is 4 minutes 12¾ seconds, although a recent performance in America, which is a tiny fraction of a second faster, has yet to be passed. Over 1 mile, long-distance running begins, and, as considerable staying-power is required, it is not unusual to find one man prove champion at 4 miles and 10 miles, and even the 1-mile race in the same year. No runner has yet achieved the capacity of running 12 miles within the hour, although two or three have been within a few hundred yards of this distance. About ten years ago the fashion became a craze of contesting 'Marathon races' in which all sorts of distances, quite independent of the classic 26¼ miles, were employed. At rare intervals very long-distance running, such as 50 miles, is indulged in. For any distance over 20 miles a special form of endurance is called for, rather than orthodox running in good style. As a competition 'walking' is an unsatisfactory exercise, because of the extreme difficulty in deciding when the athlete is still fulfilling the orthodox regulation as to what constitutes fair 'heel and toe', inasmuch as the style of a man who is ostensibly walking, yet actually progressing at a rate faster than 9 miles an hour (faster than the average untrained person can run), is exceedingly difficult to analyse. About fifteen years ago long-distance walking became exceedingly popular, and hundreds of competitors attempted the classic walk to Brighton and back.
The usual hurdle race is over 120 yards, with ten flights of hurdles 10 yards apart, so that a distance of 15 yards separates the start from the first flight, and the same distance the last flight from the finish. The hurdles are 3½ feet high, with perfectly-level top rails. In correct 'hurdling' the 'three-stride method' is essential, that is to say, three strides are taken on the flat between the hurdles, and the athlete rises 6 feet from the obstacle, taking it in his stride, so that retardation of speed is reduced to a minimum. The skill and accuracy of an accomplished hurdler is remarkable, and the race is frequently run inside 16 seconds; a record of 15 seconds, and even a trifle less, has been accomplished.
In this country, running long jump and high jump (and to a less extent the pole jump) alone are practised to any extent, although as occasional events the standing high and long jumps are contested, and, still less frequently, the old-fashioned hop, step, and jump. In the long jump the athlete employs all the impetus he can acquire by a sprint of about 30 yards. The ideal aimed at is to run at the fastest speed which is
consistent with reaching the taking-off board with accuracy, and then to leap as high as possible. A fraction of an inch under 25 feet has been cleared on two occasions, although it may be said that anything over 24 feet is exceptional, and that any jumper capable of 23 feet consistently has a good chance to win an Amateur Championship. The high jump requires skill of a very peculiar character. Whilst the novice regards this feat as dependent on momentum, and takes a correspondingly long run to acquire speed, the crack performer employs his capacity of manipulating his body and limbs so as to cross the bar in a horizontal position. In this way the prodigious height of 6 feet 7 inches has been cleared. In general it may be said that first-class jumping begins at 6 feet.
Pole jumping, a particularly pretty event to watch, has never been practised to any great extent in this country, and, in fact, does not even appear to be so popular here as twenty years ago. The pole employed is of light but strong bamboo about 14 feet long, with a sharp ferrule at one end, which is stuck firmly into the ground. By the help of the pole, which is firmly grasped near the other end, the jumper elevates himself to the bar, over which he throws his legs and his body, finally relinquishing his hold of the pole, to fall on the opposite side. Recent years have witnessed the development of great skill in this event, particularly by the Americans, Canadians, and Swedes, and 13 feet has been cleared.
The weight or shot is an iron ball weighing 16 lb., which must be put with one hand only from the shoulder within a circle of 7 feet diameter. Although great strength is essential, skill in utilizing the whole of the body plays a very important part. Over 50 feet has been put on several occasions.
The 'hammer' is a ball of lead or iron attached by a wire to a handle. The total length must not exceed four feet; the weight of the whole must be at least 16 lb. The performer grasps the handle with one or both hands, and, standing within a 7-foot circle, swings the ball round and round to acquire impetus, which is then increased by rapid rotatory movements of his body. Once again skill and co-ordination must be wedded to strength. A crack performer has thrown over 175 feet.