1953 Motspur Park, Surrey 24 Hour Track Race

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This race was organised by Timber Woodcock C144 (Surrey Walking Club) and sponsored by the “Sunday Dispatch” newspaper. This was the fourth post war track race, and although there were some good men in the field, no records were broken.

Of the 21 starters, 10 completed 100 miles with 4 going on for the full 24 hours.

The winner was Claude Hubert C156 (France) , who had aspirations of breaking the world record held by his fellow countryman, Henri Caron at 132 miles. He was unable to but achieved the fourth best distance in Britain – 125 miles 1591 yards, the 3 best being:

T. Hammond C10 – 131 miles 580 yards (1908), P. Reading C121 – 129 miles 749 yards (1946), and T. Payne C18 – 127 miles 542 yards (1909).

The race brought 4 new members into the hat-trick club, namely Ron Andrews C124, with 3 completions all on the track, Hew Neilson C145, Willy Watson C146 and Fred Plumb C151 all with 2 track and 1 road completions. The leader of the pack though was Tom Richardson C100 with 4 in the bag.

 

1953 Birmingham to London – Programme

1953 Birmingham to London – Results

1951 London to Brighton & Back

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For the first time this race was sponsored by the “Sunday Dispatch” newspaper who also publicised the race.

45 entered of whom 36 started. 25 competitors completed 100 miles, 20 of them continuing for the full distance of 104 miles. Out of the 25, four were existing Centurions. L.E. Lambert C133 was the only one to retire at the 100 mile mark.

One of the 36 competitors in this race was the 50km champion of France, Claude Hubert, who in finishing 4th became the 3rd overseas athlete to join the ranks of the Centurions.

The winner of the race was A.J. Stirling-Wakeley C143, in 18 hours 46 minutes, thus becoming a winner on both road and track (a feat that had only been achieved previously by Tom Hammond C10 in 1907 and 1908). His intention had been to break Billy Baker’s 1926 record, and although he started well he had a very bad patch just before the dawn, when Stan Horton had closed to within 2 minutes and actually had him in sight, however Jack Wakeley rallied and secured his victory. He won not only the Hammond Cup but also the Hammond-Neville trophy, as this was a Surrey Walking Club. He also became the first holder of a splendid 12 inch diameter silver punchbowl presented by the “Sunday Dispatch”.

Four hours after finishing and having a bath and short nap, Jack dressed in full evening dress and took his position as chief percussionist in the orchestra pit of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

1951 London to Brighton & Back

1949 Yorkshire W.C. 24 Hours Track Race (Bradford)

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In September, the Yorkshire Walking Club held another 24 hour track race at Horsfall Playing Fields, Bradford, the scene of the famous 1936 race where Tom Richardson set his record for 100 miles.  23 started, 11 of them completing 100 miles or more, 6 were still on their feet at the end of the 24 hours, however 2 of them failed to reach the magic 100, H. Barraclough C109, failing by just under 2 miles.

The winner of the race was Tom Richardson C100, he was first to reach 100 miles and thus was awarded the Hammond Cup, but he made no impression on his own record time set 13 years earlier.  He continued to achieve a distance of 116¾ miles in just over 23 hours; knowing that his lead in this race was unassailable and that he could not approach Tom Hammond’s 1908 record distance, he decided to retire.  Tom had now become a member of the hat-trick club, only 4 Centurions had done this before him.

Eddie Blakemore, who was injured during the war while doing military training in Scotland, wore a surgical foot for the rest of his life so he did very well to complete 100 miles in 23.46.16.

Another Centurion to join this elite club was Norman Smith C122, of Yorkshire Walking Club, his hat-trick being achieved in the 3 post war track races of 1946, 1948 and 1949.

 

1949 24 hour walk, Yorkshire WC; 23rd – 24th September 1949, Programme 600pm start

1949 Report from the Bradford Telegraph published 26.09.1949

 

1948 Motspur Park, Surbiton 24 Hour Track Walk

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14 walkers started and 8 of them compleed 100 miles while 2 retired.  The remaining 6 continued for the full 24 hours.  One of the 6 was H. Barraclough C109 of the Yorkshire Walking Club who had cycled 200 miles from his home in Bradford to take part. He walked 102 miles in the 24 hours and then proceeded to cycle back to Bradford, more than 500 miles in total!

The first to reach 100 miles and then retire was Stan Horton C128, thus winning the Hammond Cup for a second year.

The winner of the race was A.J. Stirling-Wakeley, the first of 3 new Centurions.  The other 2 were L.W. (Timber) Woodcock, a brother in law of Stan & Maurice Horton, and H.D. Neilson.

1948 Race Programme

 

1946 White City

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This event, held on 14th-15th June 1946, was staged at the White City Track, the scene of the famous 1908 and 1909 track races which were so instrumental in the formation of the Centurions.  It was also the first 24 hour race to be held in London in the 37 years since those two great events.

It rained heavily throughout the race and a large part of the track was waterlogged.  Of the 26 who started, 4 would complete 100 miles and retire, one of them being Jonnie Henderson, the winner of the last qualifying event in 1937, he was 34 minutes behind the leader at the 100 mile mark.  4 others were to continue for the full 24 hours, the winner being Percy Reading of the Polytechnic Club.  He set new figures for 19 hours, 110 miles and 20 hours.

Tom Richardson’s 100 mile time from 1936 and Tom Hammond’s 24 hour distance from 1908 were undisturbed.  And so the Centurions gained 7 new members.

1946_Programme