Running Recollections and How to Train

CHAPTER 111 LEN HURST. CHAMPION OF THE WORLD AT 20 MILES. LEX HURST , the Long Distance Champion of the World, was born at Sittingbonme on the 28th December, 1871, is a brickmaker by trade, and scales, when in his best condition, about 10 stone3 lbs. to 10 stone5 lbs. He commenced his racing careerin his native town in 1887, when hewon a four miles' race and ran fourth in a ten miles' race. The next year he came very quickly to the front, and experienced one of the mostsuccessful seasonsever achieved by an athlete. At the end of1888, he was credited with no less than 31 first prizes in races from four to ten miles. Unfortunately, after so brilliant a record, business prevented him, during the seasons 1889-90and 1891, from participat­ ing in a sport at which he had proved himself such an adept. Fortunately for the pedestrian world, he came back to the trackin 1892, when his best performance was the "20 miles' race in which he defeated A. E. Ware, of Camden Town, to whom he conceded 440 yards, compelling his opponent to retire beaten at 11miles. In 1893, he defeated Guv Temple, of Southwark, in a match at ten miles, the latter retiringwhen Hurst was three laps ahead. Latci in the same year heperformed the m irvellous feat of lunning 183 miles in 30 hours, and subsequently pulled off four handicaps, three offour miles and one of six miles. The season of 1894 wasa quiet one, as nobody could he induced to try conclusions with him, but in Decembci, 1895, he won a 20 hours' race at the Bethnal Creen