CHAMPION OF YESTERYEAR
STEVE HERINGTON RELATES THE STORY OF THE SUBJECT OF HIS NEW BOOK, A FARM LABOURER NAMED BOB COLE, WHO WAS THE FINEST PROFESSIONAL RUNNER OF HIS DAY
AS MO FARAH, multiple world and Olympic champion, heads for Rio to defend his two Olympic titles, it is fascinating to consider just how different the world of long-distance running was around 100 years ago.
The modern Olympic Games were, of course, founded in 1896 and held in Athens, to honour the birthplace of the sporting festivals of Greek antiquity. The First World War of 1914-18 prevented the 1916 Games taking place but they were back in 1920 and 1924, the occasion celebrated in the film Chariots of Fire.
In Britain, the amateur code had gained dominance over professional athletics following the formation of the Amateur Athletic Association in 1880. Yet the ‘pros’ clung on, their ranks frequently swollen by the absorption of former amateurs busted for infringing the strict regulations relating to expenses and prizes.
Bob Cole ran the Powderhall Marathon on 13 occasions with success
Nowhere, a century ago, did the professional game so prosper as in Scotland where the famous Edinburgh Powderhall Gala was held on an annual basis, even during the war, to celebrate Hogmanay. Sprints and middle-distance events, as well as the “marathon” whose distance was, over the years, reduced from 26 to 15 and finally to 10 miles, were held, with handicapping, accompanied by betting. Huge crowds, sometimes of more than 12,000, would gather for the “Powderhall” to watch the sport while attempting to win some money and stay refreshed as they saw in the new year.
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