PEDESTRIAN RECORDS 87 



Ranelagh Harriers' inter-club walk to Brighton of 

 April 9th. But that was indeed a memorable event, 

 for T. E. Hammond then abolished Butler's remaining 

 record, of 8 hrs. 43 mins. 16 sees, for the single trip, 

 and replaced it by his own of 8 hrs. 26 mins. 57f sees. 



Even the efforts of cyclists seem to for a time have 

 spent themselves, for 1905 witnessed only the new 

 unpaced record made July 19th by R. Shirley, who 

 cycled there and back in 5 hrs. 22 mins. 5 sees., thus 

 shearing off a mere 8 mins. 5 sees, from Green's per- 

 formance of so long as three years before. What the 

 future may have in store none may be so hardy as to 

 prophesy. Finality has a way of ever receding into 

 the infinite, and when the unpaced cyclist shall have 

 beaten the paced record of 5 hrs. 6 mins. 42 sees, made 

 bv Xeason in 1897, other new fields will arise to be 

 conquered. And let no one say that speed and sport 

 on the Brighton Road have finally declined, for, as 

 we have seen, it is abundantly easy in these days for 

 a popular Press to " call spirits from the vasty deep," 

 and arouse sporting enthusiasm almost to frenzy, 

 whenever and wherever it is " worth the while." 



Thus, in pedestrianism, other new times have since 

 been set up. On September 22nd. 1906, J. Butler, 

 in the Polytechnic Harriers' Open Walk, finished to 

 Brighton in 8 hrs. 23 mins. 27 sees. On June 22nd, 

 1907, Hammond performed the double journey, 

 London to Brighton and back, in 18 hrs. 13 mins. 

 37 sees. And on May 1st, 1909, he regained the single 

 journey record by his performance of 8 hrs. 18 mins. 

 18 sees. On September 4th of the same year H. L. 

 Ross further reduced the figures to 8 hrs. 11 mins. 

 14 sees. 



