Another quick piece on the history of the 1000 mile event…

( Following on from last time )

Daniel Crisp’s 16 day, 23hrs and 8 mins time for completing the 1000+ miles in 1810 was to remain unbeaten for sixty years – coming under challenge with the rise in popularity of multi-day racing in the Victorian period.

American racer, Edward Weston (regarded as the pioneer of the  6 Day event), travelled to England  in 1877. In England, as part of a series of bets, Weston wagered he could walk 1000 miles in  400 consecutive hours.

He achieved this at the Northumberland Cricket Ground in  Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, managing to complete the 1000 miles in 16 days 15 hours and 41 minutes.

There were however some slight differences between the social climate of 1877 and that found today. In Victorian England it was more-or-less unthinkable to hold a sporting event on a Sunday – let alone one held as a wager (as this would have outraged devout Christians in this period), and so the 400 consecutive hours did not include Sundays, which were taken (quite literally) as a “day of rest”. In total Edward Weston has over 150 hours of rest while setting his new 1000 mile record.

To once again give a context to the current Athens race, competitors in the 1000 mile World Cup have a maximum of 16 days to complete the 1000 miles -and that time includes any rest they take while racing.

No one will be putting their feet up tomorrow (Sunday)…

More shortly,

Shaun