Kenny Moore off-target on Bascombe's book

[GeoffPietsch]

In this week's Sports Illustrated, Kenny Moore faults Neal Bascombe's "The Perfect Mile" for several things. On at least two, it is Moore who is off-target.
Moore rightly emphasizes the benefits one gets from sitting in behind pace-setters, but for him to say of Bannister, Landy and Santee that "none could run it alone," without the 7% benefit Moore accurately cites, was disproven by Landy himself in that summer of '54. When he broke Bannister's 3:59.4 in Finland, Landy led for the last two and a half laps; in Vancouver, against Bannister, he led for over 3 laps - and again broke four.
Later Moore faults Bascombe's use of the term "perfect mile" since "Santee, who had joined the Marines, was denied leave to run in the event." But that is irrelevant since the event was the British Commonwealth Games and ever since 1776 the U.S. has not been part of the Commonwealth.
Puzzling errors from such a great runner-writer.

[Realist]

Re: Kenny Moore off-target on Bascombe's book

Being a great athlete and a great writer as Mr. Moore was doesn't necessarily mean you have any credentials in knowledge of the sport particularly in a historic sense.

Edit is replacement of "runner" with "writer"

[KevinM]

Re: Kenny Moore off-target on Bascombe's book

While your statement is true, Realist, I think that Kenny Moore has done enough high quality athletics writing to deserve a break here. I still hold his collection "Best Efforts" as some of the best track writing I've read. While his second person writing style is a bit unorthodox, it's still fairly captivating.

[malmo]

Re: Kenny Moore off-target on Bascombe's book

>While your statement is true, Realist, I think that Kenny Moore has done enough
>high quality athletics writing to deserve a break here.

I agree, he's a writer, who'd expect him to be good at math? Seven percent? HA!

[Jefferson Buffalo]

Re: Kenny Moore off-target on Bascomb's book

The question is--did Kenny Moore at least spell Bascomb correctly? Nobody has yet on this thread.

[Conor Dary]

Re: Kenny Moore off-target on Bascombe's book

'I agree, he's a writer, who'd expect him to be good at math? Seven percent? HA!'

If you are talking about the energy saved by running behind another runner, than 7 per cent is about right. For more on this read Astrand and Rodahl, 'Textbook on Work Phyisiology', where they state that the energy saved is 6 per cent.

[kuha]

Re: Kenny Moore off-target on Bascombe's book

I haven't read this piece, but will look it up. Of course, it's foolish for anyone to say that none of the 3 could have run sub-4 by themselves...

Somewhat related to all this: the pacing "controversy" surrounding Bannister's race just won't die. I've just returned from NZ and picked up the May copy of "Inside Sport" (an Australian publication with delicious, er, superb photographs)...this has a 3 page article by Steven Downes titled "A Crooked Mile" and repeats the basic points that Pat Butcher already made. The crux of this piece is the suspicion that Brasher didn't actually cross the finish line--which, supposedly, would invalidate Bannister's performance.

It amazes me that a) any of this is news 50 years after the fact, and b) people are getting hot and bothered about it. I suppose it's a combination of a faux 1890s "amateur" moralism and our modern tendency to find fault with every hero.

[GeoffPietsch]

Re: Kenny Moore off-target on Bascombe's book

At the end of my original post I said that Moore was/is a great runner/writer. I meant that. I think I first really noticed his writing in SI when he wrote "Concentrate on the Chrysanthemums" - about the trip he and Shorter took to run Fukuoka in '71. A fantastic story. And I, too, think Moore's "Best Efforts" collection of his best SI pieces - including "...Chrysanthemums" - ranks with the very best writing about our sport. Which makes his review of "The Perfect Mile" all the more puzzling.

[highjumpsteve]

Re: Kenny Moore off-target on Bascombe's book

and I have always admired SI for their great accuracy.. allowing Moore's comment about Santee's not running against B and L in Vancouver shows bad research by not only Moore but also SI. And it really is a bad mistake, both because it's central ( and inaccurate )to part of Moore's premise, and also because it's such an easy thing to know correctly.. ( Is USA in the " British Empire " ? Hello ??!! ) Kenny if you are out there please apologize !

[Labatts]

Re: Kenny Moore off-target on Bascombe's book

Moore's line about Santee not being invited to run in the BCG mile was an incredible mistake from someone who used to very knowledgable.