1967 London to Brighton & Back

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This was the 19th edition of the Brighton and Back.  The number of starters, 44, was slightly down on recent editions but  everything else seemed to be perfect.  The race was held on the weekend of the longest day, with a full moon thrown in for good measure, but someone forgot to arrange the weather which had been fine for the previous two months.

At the start of the race, rain was coming down by the bucketful which eventually eased on the return from Westminster Bridge and had stopped by the time the walkers got back to Croydon.  By this time some of those who had started in a motley collection of protection against the elements, ranging from bicycle capes and sou’westers to plastic bags, had already retired.  The night passed without incident except for the retirement of John Lees, the early leader, leaving the way clear for Gerd Nickel of Germany who went on to win and become the first German member of the Centurions.  By the afternoon the rain had returned in the form of thunderstorms, but unlike the 1963 race it did not abate the constant flow of traffic on the Brighton Road.

In total only 13 finished the full distance with 3 others retiring at 100 miles.  5, including the winner became new Centurions.  Soon after this race, the Surrey Walking Club took the regrettable but inevitable decision to end this famous series of races.  The traffic conditions and their inherent danger which had been mentioned by Henry Colldén as far back as 1921, had now become intolerable.  This meant that Billy Baker’s record from 1926 would now last for all time, a fitting tribute to a superb athlete, but more importantly, if Surrey Walking Club were to fulfil their obligation to promote a race every four years, a new course would have to be found for 1971.

 

1967 London to Brighton & Back – Programme

1967 London to Brighton & Back – Results

1966 Leicester to Skegness (5th)

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Organised by Leicester Walking Club

This year there was a record breaking number of starters for the biennial Leicester to Skegness race.

The race was won for a second time by Karl Abolins in just over 18 hours 10 minutes. 84 started and 47 finished, one of them being Cyril Evans C158 of Leicester, who became only the second man to get into double figures.  27 became new Centurions, 12 of them Dutch and therefore eligible to join the newly formed Dutch Centurions.  The match for the “Netherlands Challenge Trophy” was won by the British.

 1966 5th Leicester To Skegness – Race Programme

1966 5th Leicester To Skegness – Results

1965 Chigwell 100

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This race was organised by the Metropolitan Police Walking Club.

Out of the 54 starters, 10 were Dutch, 8 of whom completed the course, 6 of them for the first time. One of them was Hendrick J. Doornekamp who walked the whole race in clogs.

First home was Hew Neilson C145 in 19 hours 16 mins 37secs. This was his 3rd win (2 road and 1 track) and his 16th completion. In total 30 finished, 13 for the first time.

Holland now had 14 members of our society, Italy 2, Russia, France and Switzerland 1 each. This race also saw the addition of a new country to the growing international list, when John Kelly of the USA joined our ranks.

1965 Chigwell 100 – Results

1965 Chigwell 100 – Award Ceremony

 

 

1964 Leicester to Skegness

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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

1962 Leicester to Skegness

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This was the third race from Leicester to Skegness. 26 of the 45 starters completed the race, 13 of them for the first time.

The winner was Frank O’Reilly C276, his 4th win in successive years. He completed the course in 16 hours 58 minutes, 16 seconds, the second sub 17 hour time in his outstanding career and the only man to beat this time barrier.

 

1962 Leicester to Skegness – Results