GREAT ATHLETIC FEATS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3115, 11 January 1911, Page 7

GREAT ATHLETIC FEATS.

MEN OF STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE/ THE STORY OP MILO. The myths of the early ages are I crowuoct with stories of the magnificent I feats achieved by their heroes. But when closely examined and stripped of their obviously mythical “trimmings/ 1 the achievements of the ancient ath-1 letes are usually found to have been quite commonplace and credible. Take, for instance, the story of Milo’s the most famous athlete of ancient times. Milo’s most spectacular feat was to take on his back a four-year-old heifer and carry it round the stadium. Now, the animal may have weighed anyweher from 4001bs. to 8001bs.; and the distance round the stadium we know to have been exactly 220yds.—that is, one-eiglith of a mile. Whether this story it true no one can tell; but there is no good reason why it should not be, for the feat is by no means incredible or even unique. The Turkish porters of Constantinople frequently make lona, journeys, bearing on their shoulders a weight of 6001b5., which is quite as much or even more than Milo’s burden is said to have been. It is further told that after Milo had finished his curcuit of the stadium with his bovine burden, he killed he animal with a single blow of his fist, probably aided by the cestus, a bulging apparatus not unlike a boxing-glove. Among tli© notable athletes of modern times, perhaps the most remarkable was Ernest Menson, a sailor in the Navy. On a certain occasion, finding himself penniless in London, and knowing that he must reach his ship at Porstmouth by roll call or be shot as a deserter the next morning, lie ran the entire distance between the two cities, starting 1 at half past eight in the evening, and ariving at his destination by six the next morning. That is to say, he covered the entire distance of 69 miles in less than 10 hours. His next run was from London to Liverpool, a distance of 200 miles, which he covered in exactlv 33 hours.

A still more remarkable pedestrian feat was his famous run form Paris to Moscow, a distance that in those days was 1,760 miles. He did the journev in 336 hours. Menson never walked, but went at a "dog-trot.” He was also peculiar as to eating and sleeping. On his journeys he ate nothing except occosionallv a little fruit or biscuit; but would drink much water. His rest was taken in a standing position, usually leaning against a wall or tree. After 10 of 15 minutes of this rest, he would awaken and go on apparently as fresh as ever.

On one occasion during a long run he went up as usual and ieaned against a tree to rest. His seconds and attendants standing about had notice nothing unusual in his manner or appearance. Ten minutes passed. 15, 30; the watchers went closer, and ■ found that Menson was dead. One of the most remarkable feats of strength on record was the platform lift made by Patrick McCarthy, of St. Louis, U.S.A. The platform was loaded witl-) stones, and McCarthy standing under it, lifted with arms, legs, and back, "harness” style. The weight of the platform and stones was 6.3701b5., or over three tons.