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List of winners of the London to Brighton walk

Long-distance walking race held on public roads in England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The London to Brighton walk was a long distance walking race 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. The actual distance varied over the years as new roads were built, and existing roads were altered, but the programme for one race in 1897 advertised the distance as 51 miles 1,320 yards (83.2km).

The first race was held in 1872, between two men. In April 1886 South London Harriers and Ealing Harriers organised a race for their club members. In April 1897 Polytechnic Harriers organised an open amateur walking race with generous prizes that had thirty-seven starters. In 1903 there were at least ten races from London to Brighton but many of these were never held again and from 1919 there were just two events being held regularly. Surrey Walking Club organised an open race held usually in September each year, and the Stock Exchange Athletic Club held a race for their own members each May. The first woman to cover the distance was 16-year-old Lilian Salkeld in 1922, and that same year there was a race for blind ex-servicemen, residents at St Dunstan's Hospice, in Brighton. From 1902 there was also a walk from London to Brighton and back. This was held at infrequent intervals until 1967 when it was decided that the roads were too busy for it to be safe to continue to hold this event on public roads. The Surrey Open walk continued until 1984, and the Stock Exchange walk was last held in their centenary year, 2003.

Edward Knott of South London Harriers was the first man to finish in less than nine hours. Harold Whitlock of the Metropolitan Walking Club was the first man under eight hours, and the men's record was set in 1957 by Donald Thompson (Metropolitan WC). The women's record is held by Sandra Brown of Surrey Walking Club. the record for the walk to Brighton and back was set by Billy Baker (Queen's Park H.) in 1926.

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London to Brighton

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London to Brighton and back

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