390 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



speed at some part of the course before the end. The average speed of 

 a record-making Olympic nmner on a 100-meter course is given in the 

 table as 9.26 meters per second. In the 1,500-meter race, Sheppard 

 averaged, as we have already seen, 6.16 meters-per-second. Suppose 

 that he commenced, say, by running at 9.26 meters-per-second. This 

 would have been only 50 per cent, more than his average speed. It is 

 clear that, had he done so, he would have been run out in 10 seconds. 

 Again, if he had commenced by running at 7.09 meters-per-second, his 

 average speed over the 800-meter course, and not quite 15 per cent, 

 above his average speed over the 1,500-meter course, he would have 

 been run out after 112.8 seconds, or only about half way. 



It seems possible, however, to combine the incentive of shoulder-to- 

 shoulder competition with uniform pace-making, and without loss of 

 interest to the spectators, by running a light flag or pennant by the side 

 of the track, on a slender wire of steel or phosphor-bronze. It would 

 only be necessary to set short posts beside the track, each supporting a 

 light metallic guide-pulley. Over all these pulleys would run the wire 

 alongside the track, making a complete loop or endless chain. The wire 

 would be propelled at some point in the course by a small electric 

 motor, driven by a portable storage battery, as in the outfit of an electric 

 automobile. An attendant at the motor would be charged with the duty 

 of keeping the speed of the motor and wire uniform at that correspond- 

 ing to the record for the particular event. By means of a stroboscopic 

 fork, i. e., a tuning-fork carrying slotted wings on its prongs, through 

 which a rotating target carried by the motor appears to stand still, it is 

 readily possible to keep the speed of such a motor and wire constant to 

 within a small fraction of one per cent. 



When the runners were placed and ready to start, a small flag would 

 be gripped on the running wire a few paces behind the men. As this 

 flag reached the starting line, the starter would fire his pistol. Owing 

 to the starting inertia of the men, the flag would gain a few feet at the 

 first, and the runners would get under way with the flag slightly ahead. 

 Since the flag would reach the winning post in record time, it would be 

 the object of the men to outdistance it at that point. According to the 

 reasoning above presented, they should best be able to do this by keep- 

 ing close to the flag, which would serve as pacemaker. They should 

 certainly be advised thereby if they started off at too high a speed. 

 The spectators would have the advantage of seeing not only the contest 

 of the actual runners ; but also a contest with the " ghost " of the 

 best runner that heretofore had made the record of that event his own, 

 as impersonated in the flag running beside the track. 



In raising the ghost of the record runner as above, there might be 

 a clanger of hurting the race by the runners losing heart if they failed 

 to keep up with the flag. There might also be a danger of the specta- 



