Athletics and Football (extract)

ATHLETIC SPORTS IN ENGLAND 3i house Wall and Shoreditch Church gates in 4 minutes. In 1777 we hear of a performance in Yorkshirewhich is possibly correct in time : Joseph Headley, a pedestrian, running two miles in 9 min. 45 sec. on the Knavesmire. The racecourse or the highroad appears to have been about this period the usual arena of genuine pedestrian matches. In 1780 a pedestrian of Penrith walkedfifty miles in 13 hours on the Newcastle racecourse. In 1785 one Woolfit, another pedes­ trian, walked forty miles a day for six consecutive days, between6 A.M. and 6 P.M., on the high road. Soon afterwards a man named York ran four miles on the Egham racecourse in 2\\ minutes. In 1787 Walpole, a butcher from NewgateMar­ ket, ran a mile with a well-known pedes­ trian of the name of Pope, along the City Road, and beat him in the time of 4 min. 30 sec.—a good per­ formance if true, In 1788 there wasenormous excite­ ment overa race between a pedestrian namedEvans and Father Time at Newmarket, Evans being backed to run his ten miles withinthe hour. He is credited withcovering the distance in Man on stilts v. man running.