List of winners of the London to Brighton road race
The London to Brighton road race was a long distance run held on public roads from Westminster Bridge over the river Thames in London, England, to Brighton on the south coast. The route went through Croydon, Redhill, Crawley, Hickstead and Dale Hill, and finished at the Aquarium on the sea front at Brighton with both the start and finish being at sea level. The actual distance varied over the years as new roads were built, and existing roads were altered, but one event in 1924 was 51 miles, 1,607 yards (83.5 km), a much later iteration of the course in use from 1991 was 55 miles (88.5 km) and from 1957 it was always more than twice as long as a marathon.
The first race was held in 1837, between two professional pedestrians. In May 1899 South London Harriers organised an open race that tempted nineteen men to try the route. In 1903 the Evening News offered generous prizes and over ninety men raced to Brighton, but there were no further attempts for over twenty years. In both 1924 and 1937 men trained on the very similar Comrades marathon in South Africa came to England to successfully challenge the record. In 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain, Surbiton Town sports club organised a race, and the following year the Road Runners Club was founded and turned it into an annual race. The first woman to cover the distance, Dale Greig of Tannahill Harriers, arrived in Brighton in 1972. An unofficial women's race was held in 1979 and from 1980 women officially had their own race.
In 1921 Surrey Athletic Club tried out a 10-stage relay run to Brighton and in 1924 this became an annual race sponsored by the News of the World that attracted the best clubs in the country until 1966 when the sponsor withdrew. As the volume and speed of traffic on the roads increased it gradually became unsafe to hold the event on public roads, and it also became more difficult to recruit appropriate numbers of volunteer marshals and so the event was last held in 2005.
In 1972 Alastair Wood of Aberdeen became the first man to cover the route at an average speed of more than 10 miles per hour (16.0 kmh), crossing the finishing line in the lowest recorded time of 5 h 11 min 2 s, but since the route varied the lowest time may not necessarily be the best performance. The best men's performance is 5 h 15 min 15 s for 54 miles 460 yards (87.3 km) by Ian Thompson of Luton United AC in 1980, and the best performance by a woman was 6 h 34 min 10 s by Carolyn Hunter-Rowe in 1993 over the longest version of the course when it measured 55 miles (88.5 km).
| Date | Athlete (Affiliation) | Time h:mm:ss | Distance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Jan 1837 | John Townsend (pedestrian) | 8:37:00 | [1] | |
| 6 May 1899 | Frederick D. Randall (Finchley H.) | 6:58:18 | [2] | |
| 20 Jun 1903 | Leonard Hurst (professional) | 6:34:50 | [3] | |
| 3 Oct 1924 | Arthur Newton | 6:11:04 | 51 miles 1,607 yards (83.5 km) | [4] |
| 13 Nov 1924 | Arthur Newton | 5:53:43 | 51 miles 1,607 yards (83.5 km) | [5] |
| 22 May 1937 | Hardy Ballington (Durban AC, RSA) | 5:53:42 | 51 miles 1,737 yards (83.7 km) | [6] |
| 18 Aug 1951 | Lewis E. Piper (Blackheath H.) | 6:18:40 | 52 miles 566 yards (84.2 km) | [7] |
| 27 Sep 1952 | Derek E. Reynolds (Blackheath H.) | 5:52:22 | 52 miles 566 yards (84.2 km) | [8] |
| 26 Sep 1953 | Wally Hayward (Germiston Callies H., RSA) | 5:29:40 | 52 miles 566 yards (84.2 km) | [9] |
| 25 Sep 1954 | William H. Kelly (Reading AC) | 5:39:46 | 52 miles 566 yards (84.2 km) | [10] |
| 24 Sep 1955 | Tom Richards (South London H.) | 5:27:24 | 52 miles 566 yards (84.2 km) | [11] |
| 29 Sep 1956 | Ron F. Hopcroft (Thames Valley H.) | 5:36:25 | 52 miles 566 yards (84.2 km) | [12] |
| 28 Sep 1957 | Gerald Walsh (Durban AC, RSA) | 5:26:20 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [13] |
| 27 Sep 1958 | Mike I. Kirkwood (Haltemprice) | 5:47:44 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [14] |
| 26 Sep 1959 | Fritz Madel (Durban AC, RSA) | 5:43:58 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [15] |
| 24 Sep 1960 | Jackie Mekler (Germiston Callies H., RSA) | 5:25:56 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [16] |
| 30 Sep 1961 | John C. Smith (Epsom & Ewell H.) | 5:37:43 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [17] |
| 29 Sep 1962 | John C. Smith (Epsom & Ewell H.) | 5:35:22 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [18] |
| 28 Sep 1963 | Bernard Gomersall (Leeds Harehills) | 5:47:55 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [19] |
| 26 Sep 1964 | Bernard Gomersall (Leeds Harehills) | 5:39:44 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [20] |
| 25 Sep 1965 | Bernard Gomersall (Leeds Harehills) | 5:40:11 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [21] |
| 24 Sep 1966 | Bernard Gomersall (Leeds Harehills) | 5:32:50 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [22] |
| 8 Oct 1967 | John Tarrant (Salford H.) | 5:41:50 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [23] |
| 29 Sep 1968 | John Tarrant (Salford H.) | 5:37:27 | 52 miles 876 yards (84.5 km) | [24] |
| 28 Sep 1969 | Dave Bagshaw (Savages AC, RSA) | 5:28:35 | 52 miles 1,172 yards (84.8 km) | [25] |
| 27 Sep 1970 | Joseph Clare (Blackheath H. & Royal Navy) | 5:41:08 | 52 miles 1,172 yards (84.8 km) | [26] |
| 26 Sep 1971 | David Levick (Witwatersrand Un., RSA) | 5:21:45 | 52 miles 1,172 yards (84.8 km) | [27] |
| 1 Oct 1972 | Alastair J. Wood (Aberdeen AC) | 5:11:02 | 52 miles 1,172 yards (84.8 km) | [28] |
| 30 Sep 1973 | Joe Keating (Ealing & Southall AC) | 5:11:30 | 52 miles 1,172 yards (84.8 km) | [29] |
| 29 Sep 1974 | John V. Newsome (Wakefield H. & AC) | 5:16:07 | 52 miles 1,172 yards (84.8 km) | [30] |
| 28 Sep 1975 | Cavin Woodward (Leamington C. & AC) | 5:12:07 | 52 miles 1,172 yards (84.8 km) | [31] |
| 26 Sep 1976 | Thomas P. O'Reilly (Small Heath H.) | 5:23:32 | 52 miles 1,568 yards (85.1 km) | [32] |
| 25 Sep 1977 | Donald Ritchie (Forres H.) | 5:16:05 | 52 miles 1,568 yards (85.1 km) | |
| 1 Oct 1978 | Donald Ritchie (Forres H.) | 5:13:02 | 53 miles 856 yards (86.1 km) | |
| 30 Sep 1979 | Allan Kirik (Central Park Track Club, USA) | 5:32:37 | 54 miles 460 yards (87.3 km) | |
| 28 Sep 1980 | Ian Thompson (Luton United AC) | 5:15:15 | 54 miles 460 yards (87.3 km) | [33] |
| 27 Sep 1981 | Bruce Fordyce (Witwatersrand Un., RSA) | 5:21:15 | 53 miles 856 yards (86.1 km) | |
| 26 Sep 1982 | Bruce Fordyce (Witwatersrand Un., RSA) | 5:18:36 | 53 miles 856 yards (86.1 km) | |
| 25 Sep 1983 | Bruce Fordyce (Witwatersrand Un., RSA) | 5:12:32 | 53 miles 1,082 yards (86.3 km) | |
| 7 Oct 1984 | Barry Heath (Royal Marines) | 5:24:15 | 53 miles 540 yards (85.8 km) | |
| 6 Oct 1985 | Hoseah Tjale (Johannesburg H., RSA) | 5:31:26 | 53 miles 540 yards (85.8 km) | |
| 5 Oct 1986 | Terry Tullett (Brighton & Hove AC) | 5:53:10 | 53 miles 540 yards (85.8 km) | |
| 4 Oct 1987 | Peter Sugden (Reading AC) | 5:36:59 | 53 miles 495 yards (85.7 km) | |
| 9 Oct 1988 | Mark Pickard (Epsom & Ewell H.) | 6:06:25 | 53 miles 495 yards (85.7 km) | |
| 8 Oct 1989 | Erik Seedhouse (City of Hull AC) | 5:24:48 | 53 miles 495 yards (85.7 km) | |
| 7 Oct 1990 | David Beattie (Crawley AC) | 5:54:32 | 53 miles 495 yards (85.7 km) | |
| 6 Oct 1991 | David Kelly (Barrow AC) | 6:13:56 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 4 Oct 1992 | Stephen Moore (Hertford & Ware AC) | 6:01:09 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 3 Oct 1993 | Stephen Moore (Hertford & Ware AC) | 6:07:22 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 2 Oct 1994 | Shaun Meiklejohn (Collegian H., RSA) | 6:01:02 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 1 Oct 1995 | Sarel Ackermann (Verwoerdburg Marathon Club, RSA) | 5:55:49 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 6 Oct 1996 | Greg Dell (Woodstock Harriers) | 6:00:59 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 5 Oct 1997 | Stephen Moore (Hertford & Ware AC) | 6:05:32 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 4 Oct 1998 | Colin Thomas (Liberty Life Reebok AC, RSA) | 6:02:17 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 3 Oct 1999 | Stephen Moore (Hertford & Ware AC) | 6:02:45 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 1 Oct 2000 | Sarel Ackermann (Verwoerdburg Marathon Club, RSA) | 5:56:50 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 7 Oct 2001 | Andriy Kotsybka (Sport Club Parus, UKR) | 6:42:13 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 6 Oct 2002 | Brian Hennessey (Crawley AC) | 6:00:57 | 54 miles 194 yards (87.1 km) | |
| 5 Oct 2003 | Brian Hennessey (Crawley AC) | 6:24:04 | 54 miles 194 yards (87.1 km) | |
| 3 Oct 2004 | Brian Hennessey (Crawley AC) | 6:13:59 | 54 miles 194 yards (87.1 km) | |
| 2 Oct 2005 | Johannes Oosthuizen (Liberty Life Nike AC, RSA) | 5:50:30 | 54 miles 194 yards (87.1 km) |
| Date | Athlete (Affiliation) | Time h:mm:ss | Distance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1972 | Dale Greig (Tannahill Harriers) | 8:30:04 | 52 miles 1,172 yards (84.8 km) | [34] |
| 30 Sep 1979 | Leslie Watson (London Olympiades AC) | 6:55:11 | 54 miles 460 yards (87.3 km) | |
| 28 Sep 1980 | Leslie Watson (London Olympiades AC) | 6:56:10 | 54 miles 460 yards (87.3 km) | [35] |
| 27 Sep 1981 | Lynn Fitzgerald (Highgate Harriers) | 7:47:28 | 53 miles 856 yards (86.1 km) | |
| 26 Sep 1982 | Ann Franklin (Mynyddwr de Cymru) | 7:01:51 | 53 miles 856 yards (86.1 km) | |
| 25 Sep 1983 | Ann Franklin (Mynyddwr de Cymru) | 6:37:08 | 53 miles 1,082 yards (86.3 km) | |
| 6 Oct 1985 | Sandra Kiddy (Palm Springs, USA) | 7:02:37 | 53 miles 540 yards (85.8 km) | |
| 5 Oct 1986 | Eleanor Robinson (Sutton-in-Ashfield AC) | 6:42:40 | 53 miles 540 yards (85.8 km) | |
| 4 Oct 1987 | Hilary Johnson (Harborough AC) | 7:15:40 | 53 miles 495 yards (85.7 km) | |
| 9 Oct 1988 | Hilary Walker (Serpentine RC) | 7:07:48 | 53 miles 495 yards (85.7 km) | |
| 8 Oct 1989 | Hilary Walker (Serpentine RC) | 6:43:22 | 53 miles 495 yards (85.7 km) | |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Hilary Walker (Serpentine RC) | 6:51:24 | 53 miles 495 yards (85.7 km) | |
| 6 Oct 1991 | Carolyn Hunter-Rowe (Pudsey & Bramley AC) | 7:18:09 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 4 Oct 1992 | Dalene Vermeulen (Ceres AC, RSA) | 7:54:55 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 3 Oct 1993 | Carolyn Hunter-Rowe (Pudsey & Bramley AC) | 6:34:10 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 2 Oct 1994 | Jackie Leak (Chiltern Harriers) | 7:06:22 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 1 Oct 1995 | Lesley Turner (Rowheath Harriers) | 7:11:39 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 6 Oct 1996 | Hilary Walker (Serpentine RC) | 7:40:13 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 5 Oct 1997 | Rae Bisschoff (Rocky Road Runners, RSA) | 7:05:56 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 4 Oct 1998 | Ina Sanders (Rand Athletic Club, RSA) | 7:02:26 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 3 Oct 1999 | Hilary Walker (Serpentine RC) | 7:42:29 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 1 Oct 2000 | Danielle Sanderson (Watford Harriers) | 7:07:12 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 7 Oct 2001 | Elizabeth Neville (Epsom Allsorts) | 8:42:03 | 55 miles (88.5 km) | |
| 6 Oct 2002 | Michelle Stewart (Edgemead Runners, RSA) | 7:25:07 | 54 miles 194 yards (87.1 km) | |
| 5 Oct 2003 | Ellen McCurtin (Millrose AAC, USA) | 7:02:27 | 54 miles 194 yards (87.1 km) | |
| 3 Oct 2004 | Vicky Skelton (North Devon Road Runners) | 7:20:43 | 54 miles 194 yards (87.1 km) | |
| 2 Oct 2005 | Vicky Skelton (North Devon Road Runners) | 7:17:10 | 54 miles 194 yards (87.1 km) |
| Date | Winning Club | Time h:mm:ss |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jan 1924 | Surrey AC | 4:50:00 |
| 18 Apr 1925 | Birchfield H. | 4:50:52 |
| 10 Apr 1926 | Birchfield H. | 4:45:34 |
| 9 Apr 1927 | Hallamshire H. | 4:41:17 |
| 14 Apr 1928 | Birchfield H. | 4:41:49 |
| 6 Apr 1929 | Hallamshire H. | 4:48:37 |
| 12 Apr 1930 | Birchfield H. | 4:47:29 |
| 11 Apr 1931 | Birchfield H. | 4:48:58 |
| 16 Apr 1932 | Salford H. | 4:39:52 |
| 15 Apr 1933 | Salford H. | 4:45:30 |
| 14 Apr 1934 | Belgrave H. | 4:49:55 |
| 13 Apr 1935 | Belgrave H. | 4:49:59 |
| 25 Apr 1936 | Belgrave H. | 4:37:55 |
| 13 Apr 1937 | Mitcham AC | 3:52:05 |
| 7 May 1938 | Mitcham AC | 3:48:29 |
| 10 Apr 1939 | Mitcham AC | 3:54:19 |
| 19 Apr 1947 | Belgrave H. | 4:03:19 |
| 10 Apr 1948 | Belgrave H. | 3:57:29 |
| 2 Apr 1949 | Belgrave H. | 3:57:35 |
| 7 Apr 1951 | Belgrave H. | 3:53:38 |
| 5 Apr 1952 | Birchfield H. | 3:54:55 |
| 11 Apr 1953 | Thames Valley H. | 3:52:16 |
| 10 Apr 1954 | South London H. | 4:31:37 |
| 16 Apr 1955 | South London H. | 4:29:19 |
| 14 Apr 1956 | South London H. | 4:29:33 |
| 13 Apr 1957 | South London H. | 4:25:51 |
| 12 Apr 1958 | Thames Valley H. | 4:29:13 |
| 11 Apr 1959 | Derby & County AC | 4:40:21 |
| 9 Apr 1960 | Derby & County AC | 4:33:18 |
| 8 Apr 1961 | Derby & County AC | 4:29:15 |
| 14 Apr 1962 | Derby & County AC | 4:23:42 |
| 6 Apr 1963 | Coventry Godiva H. | 4:26:15 |
| 4 Apr 1964 | Coventry Godiva H. | 4:19:34 |
| 10 Apr 1965 | Coventry Godiva H. | 4:26:11 |
See also
References
- ^ Bell's Life, Sun 5 Feb 1837 p. 3
- ^ Brighton Argus, Sat 6 May 1899 p. 2
- ^ Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper, Sun 21 Jun 1903 p. 24
- ^ Nottingham Evening Post, Fri 3 Oct 1924 p. 5
- ^ Birmingham Daily Gazette, Fri 14 Nov 1924 p. 8
- ^ Gloucestershire Echo, Sat 22 May 1937 p. 6
- ^ AW 25 Aug 1951 p. 4
- ^ Coventry Evening Telegraph, Sat 27 Sep 1952 p. 15
- ^ AW 3 Oct 1953 p. 11
- ^ AW 2 Oct 1954 p. 14
- ^ AW 1 Oct 1955 p. 14
- ^ AW 6 Oct 1956 p. 12
- ^ AW 5 Oct 1957 p. 18
- ^ AW 4 Oct 1958 p. 10
- ^ AW 3 Oct 1959 p. 10
- ^ AW 8 Oct 1960 p. 6
- ^ AW 7 Oct 1961 p. 14
- ^ AW 13 Oct 1962 p. 6
- ^ AW 5 Oct 1963 p. 26
- ^ AW 3 Oct 1964 p. 10
- ^ AW 2 Oct 1965 p. 6
- ^ AW 1 Oct 1966 p. 10
- ^ AW 7 Oct 1967 p. 31
- ^ AW 5 Oct 1968 p. 2
- ^ AW 11 Oct 1969 p. 23
- ^ AW 10 Oct 1970 p. 14
- ^ AW 9 Oct 1971 p. 8
- ^ AW 14 Oct 1972 p. 4
- ^ AW 13 Oct 1973 p. 9
- ^ AW 12 Oct 1974 p. 8
- ^ AW 11 Oct 1975 p. 14
- ^ AW 9 Oct 1976 p. 18
- ^ AW 18 Oct 1980 p. 27
- ^ AW 14 Oct 1972 p. 4
- ^ AW 18 Oct 1980 p. 27
General references
- Brighton and Its Coaches: A History of the London and Brighton Road (1894) by William C. A. Blew
- The Brighton Road (1906) by Charles G. Harper (1863-1943)
- Road Runners Club History of the London to Brighton
- Association of Road Race Statisticians
- Ultra Marathon Statistics (Deutsche Ultramarathon Vereiniging) - London to Brighton road race