Athletics of To-Day 1929

128 Athletics of To-day Westminster (I think) put up a series of records from 82 miles in 12 hours 49 mins. so secs. to go miles in rs hours. ]. A. Squires, who in April, r885, at Balham ran 35 miles in 4 hours 4 mins. 50 secs., and a month later did 27 miles in 2 hours 54 mins. 26 secs. to 30 miles in 3 hours 17 mins. 36i secs., was training on, and that grand little veteran, ]. E. Fowler– Dixon, still happily with us, had reached the zenith of his fame. Mr. Dixon, seen running as a veteran in Picture 4, Plate r2, was a short, very lightly built athlete in those days, and his method of training caused more than one old London jehu to scratch his head. Road work was what Mr. Dixon wanted and, since his occupation kept him in London and busy all day, he chose the Outer ircle of Regent's Park for his running track. It was his custom to hire a hansom cab, strip, put his clothing inside and order the jehu to drive hard round the Circle until told to stop, while Mr. Dixon himself trotted along behind his novel pacemaker. His preparation finished, he repaired to Birmingham, and on December 29th, r884, made new records from 37 to 46 miles, of which his 40 miles record of 4 hours 46 mins. 54 secs. still stands uneclipsed. He also ran 46 miles in 5 hours 43 mins. 13 secs. The sceptics of London, however, would not believe that such times had ev r been r turned, and so Mr. Dixon deter– mined to do it all ov r again, and at Balham, on April rrth, r885, he set up a series of fre h figures from 43 mil s in 5 hours 17 mins. r8 s cs., to so miles in 6 hours r8 mins. 26 ecs. It would be incorrect even now to say that Mr. ixon has retired from the track. or many y ars it has b n his custom to ~~ go a mile " to celebrate his birthday, and at s venty-one years of age he proved himself capable of running the distance in 7 mins. 6 secs., and on ptember rst, 1928, he was one of the sevente n comp titors nt red for the enturions' 3 Miles Walk and covered the first mile in 12 mins. 54 s cs., a marvellous performance for a man who was to attain his seventy-eighth birthday two days later. The world's records made by J. E. Fowler-Dixon in the