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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 14, Issue 5 (August 1, 1939)

Panorama of the Playground — “Mile Of The Century”-1939

page 63

Panorama of the Playground
“Mile Of The Century”-1939.

Sydney Wooderson, outstanding English miler, holder of world records for 800 metres, 880 yards and one mile, failed to defeat the cream of American milers at Princeton (New Jersey) on June 17th, but the result of the race has only been to further complicate discussions on Wooderson's ability.

It seems strange to state that an athlete holding three world records, and credited with being the first runner to break three minutes for three-quarters of a mile, should have doubts cast on his ability as a racer, but that is the position.

Wooderson's best efforts have been made in races in which he has received the benefit of pacing from competitors on marks scheduled to pull Wooderson out and assist him to run his laps in preconceived times. In actual competition, against classy milers, Wooderson has yet to prove himself, although he has many fine times to his credit.

In the “Mile of the Century,” Wooderson finished last, behind Chuck Fenske, my choice for first, Glenn Cunningham, my choice for second, and San Romani and Rideout. The time, 4min. 11sec., was just a fraction of a second faster than Lovelock's winning time when he won the “Mile of the Century” in 1935. There seems to be an “annual Mile of the Century” contested at Princeton.

Although Wooderson failed to live up to his reputation as the fastest miler in the world, he met with misfortune during the race, and should not be written off for his lack of success. He was passed by Blaine Rideout, who apparently bumped him slightly, with the result that the Englishman stumbled. The majority of critics, however, claim that Wooderson's attempt to lead from start to finish had taken the steam out of him and that the bump made no difference to the result.

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