Running Recollections and How to Train

CHAPTER V. FRED. E. BACON. THE CHAMPION OF TIJK WORLD AT ONE TO TEN MILES DUHING 1895 TO 1898. THE WORLD'S CHAMPION AT TEN MILES, 1899. HOLDER OF THE WORLD'S RECORD FOR OKE HOUR (ELEVEN MILES, 1243 YARDS). F. E. BACON was bom at Boxted, Colchester, Essex, in November, 1870. His share of honours in the pedestrian world has been by no means small. As an amateur, he was a great handicap runner, his wins being too numerous to give in detail; but among hischampion­ ships in those days might be mentioned tiie one mile in 1893, 1894, and 1895—the latter being one of the fastest miles he ever ran, namely, 4 min. 17 sees.— the four miles in 1894, and the tenmiles in 1895. In the month of June, 1896, came the fiat of the A.A.A. that a number of champions andothers mustbe suspended. Several ofthese men had been running with success in the professional ranks, both in handicaps and matches, and Bacon very judiciously joined issue with the professionals,so that frum 1896 to his match with Watkins, at ten miles, on the 15th April, 1899, he was the accepted champion at that distance. In the meantime, onJune 19th, 1897,he upset Deerfoot s record for one hour by covering 11miles 1 ,243 yards ; but, unfortunately, the championship for the shorter distances of one, two, and three miles,was taken from him in the month of May, 1897.