At the 2008 AGM Jill Green C898 was elected as a Vice-President. The 2009 Centurion 100 Miles championship at Newmarket had a historical perspective. In


1809 Captain Robert Barclay Allardice was bet that he couldn’t walk 1000 miles in 1000 hours for 1000 Guineas, meaning he had to walk one mile in every consecutive hour 24 hours a day, the challenge therefore taking 42 days with the maximum of an hour and 20 minutes sleep at any one time (if you walk miles back to back in different hours). He completed the challenge on 12th July 1809, losing three stone in the process and his challenge was hailed as ‘one of the greatest human feats ever attempted.’ 200 years later, champion jockey, Polar explorer and BBC presenter, Richard Dunwoody MBE recreated this challenge, walking the same mile 1000 times in Newmarket, but this time to raise money for charity. The challenge commenced on May 29th and ended successfully on 10th July with the final mile along the Newmarket Racecourse before a packed house assembled for the Darley July Cup Meeting. The finish was covered live on Channel 4 television. The following day the annual Centurion qualifying event, incorporating the RWA National Long Distance championship, started on a fairly tough course of 50 two mile laps at Newmarket Racecourse. Despite a seven hour downpour during the night 28 people completed the hundred within 24 hours. There were eleven new Centurions, 4 of them English and 7 from overseas. Sandra Brown's (C735) hundred increased her grand total to 135 events of 100 miles or more, a feat that will probably never be matched, and her time of 19.57.24 was a W60 world best. The main decision made at the 2009 AGM was the venue, date and time for the Centenary Dinner. A number venues had been visited it was agreed that the House of Commons was the only fitting venue for such a prestigious occasion, particularly as it had been the venue for the 50th anniversary in April 1960. The AGM also discussed and gave its support to the invitation by the Isle of Man V.A.C. to host the 100 miles at the National Sports Centre at Douglas in 2010. Unfortunately the Isle of Man event had to be cancelled due to unforeseen problems with the course. This left a potential vacuum and the realisation that the pattern of holding an annual 100 miles event since 1951 would be jeopardised. Later in the year the offer by London Vidarians Walking Club to host the event at Castle Park, Colchester was accepted. In March 2010 the sad news of the death of Reverend David Christie-Murray C155 was reported. He had been prominent in race walking for decades and an active Centurion to the last,


attending AGMs and other events until not long before his demise. At a moving


Memorial Service Surrey Walking Club colleague Sandra Brown C735 delivered a eulogy. The Colchester 100, held 8-9 August 2010, went ahead after a lot of hard work and perseverance by Chris Flint C849, London Vidarians President. The route incorporated a sharp incline within Castle Park making the route even more difficult. Out of the 25 who started, 4 completed 100 miles for the first time and became Centurions, including the Spanish walker Jose-Mora Bernardo, a previous Paris-Colmar race competitor. The race was won by Sandra Brown C36 in 20:23:30. Chris Flint C849 completed his 20th UK 100 and became the fourth person to have his name inscribed on the Hew Neilson salver. After the walk he still had sufficient energy and drive to organise the presentation of the prizes.


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