During the Georgian era, from 1760 to the 1820s, there are only a few records of English athletes interacting with overseas competitors. There are occasional references, such as Levi Whitehead winning five Queen Anne’s guineas from a field of ten that included ‘the famous Indian’ and ‘Long Joe’ in 1794, who failed in an attempt to cover 10 miles in 58 minutes after previously beating ‘the famous Spaniard.’
Around the time of the first gymnastic craze, the international dimension of competitive athletics began to emerge more clearly. English pedestrianism started to form connections with continental Europe and North America. This survey covers these developments during the period from 1826 to 1878.
In 1826, John Berry of Lancashire raced against Maurice Rummel, a German velocipedist, over 10 miles on the Uxbridge Road. The race started near Kensington Gardens and stretched to Acton and back. Spectators from both England and Germany lined the route, and Rummel took the early lead but was overtaken by Berry as they neared Acton. Berry ultimately won by 30 yards. Despite his loss, Rummel had earlier impressed with a performance where he covered nearly 7 miles in 36 minutes on his velocipede for a wager placed by Prince de Leon.
The following year, in 1827, Rummel lost another 5-mile race to Berry and was also beaten by James Wantling in a 250-yard sprint, which was unsurprising, as Wantling was considered the best sprinter of the pre-Victorian era. Later that year, Rummel attempted to cover 10 miles in one hour but failed, primarily due to extreme heat.
Also in 1827, the long-distance walker Robert Skipper beat a renowned Frenchman in Paris. In 1828, George Hall from the Potteries narrowly won a 350-yard race against Dufont near Paris. The race attracted many English residents, possibly including members of the Paris Cricket Club, which, by 1829, was known as the Albion Club and drew members from prominent English families in the French capital.
The same year, French velocipedist John Joseph Grandserre challenged himself to run or ride around the Inner Circle of Regent’s Park 19 times in two hours, but was later soundly beaten in a 10-mile race by John Shepherd, who took breaks for refreshments during the race. Grandserre managed to catch up briefly but was overtaken when Shepherd picked up his pace and ultimately finished miles ahead. A misunderstanding led to Grandserre running an extra lap after the race had already been decided.
In 1831, Augustus de Berenger, a man reportedly of Prussian descent, founded a sporting facility in Chelsea known as the Stadium, which featured events like foot racing and leaping. He also planned an ‘Olympic Festival’ for 1832, but it’s unclear if track and field events were ever held at the venue.
Pedestrian competitions continued to take place, including a 10-mile walking challenge issued in 1837 by a French competitor known as ‘Bipedis.’ He challenged Burn or Fuller to compete in Boulogne, but it appears the competition never came to fruition.
By the 1840s, races between English and French competitors became more frequent. In 1842, a match between a Kentish runner and one from Calais took place near Tilmanstone, close to Dover. In 1843, a popular foot race was staged in Paris, attracting interest from both French and English residents. A groom, known as Flying Ben, took on a competitor from the Nottingham gasworks, and the English runner, trained by a renowned pedestrian, won the race. Flying Ben later lost another race in the Bois de Boulogne on Christmas Day of that year.
In 1844, an English pedestrian known as ‘Bob Logic’ lost a race in the Bois de Boulogne to the ‘Rochechorcott Gas Man,’ who won by 6 yards in a 150-yard race. Another race for residents of Paris took place later that year, involving a prize of 200 francs and a sweepstakes. The race attracted attention from several members of the Jockey Club, with an English lad winning in 5 minutes and 50 seconds, a Frenchman finishing second, and a groom coming in third.
By 1846, foot races organized in the Champs-Élysées and Bois de Boulogne had sparked a considerable amount of interest from both French and English spectators. The following year, Paris was quickly becoming a hub for English sporting affairs, with foot racing, horse racing, and cricket attracting growing crowds.
In 1856, George Frost, known as the ‘Suffolk Stag,’ competed against Antonio Genaro, a celebrated Spanish pedestrian, at the New Surrey Pedestrian Ground in Wandsworth. The 4-hour race had nationalistic undertones, with Genaro, adorned in a blue cap embroidered with the words “Genaro Andarin Espanol” (Genaro, the Spanish Runner), supported by his fellow countrymen in London. Genaro’s running style was unusual for the English audience, characterized by short, quick steps, and he ultimately gave up after 14 miles, leaving Frost 11 laps ahead.
By 1861, Captain William Henry Patten Saunders had made a name for himself in international pedestrian competitions. He was scheduled to compete in a major match near Paris against a French runner named M. Gambiere, but Gambiere forfeited after hearing of Saunders’ impressive trial time. Saunders had previously achieved victories across Europe, including a notable win over a Tartar chief in Russia, who was considered unbeatable in the eastern Russian Empire. Saunders completed the 2-mile race in Moscow with ease, further solidifying his reputation.
In 1862, an international athletics meeting was held on the cricket ground in Bonn, Germany, involving competitors from France, Germany, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Greece, North and South America, as well as Britain. Most of the participants were students from Bonn University.
Later in 1862, William Birks was depicted as the ‘Champion Pedestrian of France’ in the Illustrated Sporting News. Birks, originally from Nottinghamshire, had relocated to Calais by 1851 and had since become a prominent figure in pedestrian events in France.
By 1877, George Hazael competed against Italian runner Achille Bargozzi, who claimed to be the champion runner of both France and Italy. Bargozzi had previously claimed to have covered 50 miles in 6 hours. In their match at Lillie Bridge, Bargozzi withdrew after completing nearly 15 miles, while Hazael completed 20 miles in 1 hour, 57 minutes, and 27 seconds, setting a new record. Hazael would go on to break the 6-hour barrier for 50 miles in 1879 and later competed in the United States, where he made history by becoming the first to complete 600 miles in 6 days in Madison Square Garden. By 1885, Hazael had installed a running track behind his hotel in Brooklyn, where he continued to pursue his athletic career.
This account, compiled by John Goulstone, reflects the gradual growth of international pedestrian competitions throughout the 19th century, as English athletes increasingly competed against their European and North American counterparts.
This article was written by John Goulstone.