Re-Education of a Runner

Jamaica's tall, reed-slim Herb McKenley had astonishing speed and a one-track mind: "All I thought about was a good start and then speed, speed, speed." Outdoors, where cinders and spikes give firm footing and athletes run in chalk-marked lanes, he has done the quarter-mile in 46 seconds, faster than any man in history. But when he tried to run on indoor tracks, where the footing is treacherous and lanes are nonexistent, he learned that he needed more than sheer speed; when fields jam up on sharply banked indoor turns, a judicious elbow shove can throw the fastest man off his stride and out of the running. Said Runner McKenley: "I didn't know how to defend myself."

Three months ago 27-year-old Herb McKenley resolved to learn how to run indoors. For the best training he went to South Orange, N.J., put himself under the tutelage of canny Johnny Gibson, track coach at Seton Hall College. He described his past boners and phobias: "I worry so much about getting into a jam that I forget about pacing myself. Once I get in with all those elbows I'm licked and drop back. It's either ahead or behind. I hate that pack."

Slow Down. Gibson nodded sympathetically and put Herb on cross-country to build up endurance. Then he tried him on the board track at Seton Hall. Lesson No. i was how to go into turns. McKenley was told to lean into them, dropping the left shoulder and bringing the right arm up and away from the body.

Last week, with his schooling still in the primary stage, Gibson took his slender protege to Manhattan's 102nd Engineers Armory to run in the Metropolitan A.A.U. 600-yard. "Just concentrate on the turns," he told McKenley. "I don't expect you to win."

As he crouched for the gun, the old phobia surged up inside McKenley. When he got a good start and led the field to the first turn, he felt suddenly relieved. But when he thought he heard feet padding too close to him, he spurted again. As his lead widened to 15 yards, friends shouted, "Slow down, Herb! Slow down!" He had stepped the first 440 yards in 48.8 seconds, near-record time, but it was too fast a pace for the 600. With half a lap to go he began to stagger, and Brooklyn's Frank Fox made a bid to pass. him.

Drift Wide. Then Novice McKenley displayed his inexperience in another payoff art of indoor running. Instead of drifting out and driving Fox wide on the boards, he hugged the rail and allowed Fox to slip by the easy way. Fox won and McKenley finished a weary fourth. But he had leaned into the turns perfectly, and Coach Gibson was satisfied.

Next day Gibson gave McKenley advanced lectures on pace, and how to run with the elbows flailing wide, for better balance and protection in a pack. At week's end, McKenley ran again in the 500-yard at Brooklyn's Knights of Columbus meet and finished third. "He learns fast," said Gibson, who expected to hand his star pupil a diploma by the time the indoor season reached its peak at the Millrose Games later this month.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.