1964 Leicester to Skegness
The weekend of 3rd– 4th July 1964, saw 57 men (the largest number of starters to date) on the start line.
Most of the regulars were there plus a number of newcomers which included a good number from Holland.
Frank O’Reilly took the lead up to 30 miles but only by 3 minutes from Karl Abolins C233, with Neilson a further 3 minutes behind. Abolins, who was no newcomer, having qualified in 1955 and finished 3rd in the 1960 track race, soon took the lead which he held to the end in 17 hours 32 minutes 16secs, proving his pedigree, O’Reilly finished 2nd, 15 minutes behind.
A week after the race Frank O’Reilly announced his retirement from race walking. Five wins, two seconds and one “flop” (as he put it) in eight starts, was a remarkable record especially when two of those wins were sub 17 hours, the only man ever to achieve it. His retirement left the way open for others like Abolins, who had suffered in the shadow of his dominance, to show their worth.
28 completed the race, 13 of them completing their first 100. The result sheet showed that the accurate measurement of this course was 100 miles 350 yards.
1964 Leicester to Skegness – Race Programme