A WALKING CONTEST.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 255, 21 July 1908, Page 7

A WALKING CONTEST.

-o — • . SUCCESS OP A NEW ZEALANDER. (BI TDIiEORArU—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COrritIGHT.! Perth, July 20. In a 26 hours' walking match,' Charlei Johansen (a Now Zoalander) covered 11' miles in 24 hours 22 minutes, winning tin contest. ' The other competitors had droppec out by tho timo tho distance walked hac been reached. . PERFORMANCES OF JOHANSEN AND OTHERS. Walking matches liavo been extremely popu lar in Victoria, South' Australia, and Wos Australia during the past few months. A Perth in. April, Johansen defeated Thomas, th AVost Australian, over 10 miles, by fully a la] in lkr. 28mm. dDsec., being 13min. 55sec slowor timo 'than the professional record o the world for the distance. Johansen then is sued a challenge that he would'walk f 7 mile in faster time than any pedestrian in Wcs Australia would run 10 miles. Subsequentl; Leitch," the South Australian long-distanc runner, beat the 24 hours walk record for Aus tralia witli 110 miles 1483 yards. It may b of interest to mention that the greatest dis tanco over walked in 24 hours was 127 mile 1210 . yards by W. Howes, in England, in Eel] ruary, IS7B. At Adelaido in September, ■ 1901 Swan. covered 110 miles SSG yards within tli 2-1 hours. The amateur record of the world i held by A. W. Sinclair, who walked 115 mile IGGO yards in- 24 hours in England, in Augusl 1881. AVhen tho result of Leitch's effort wa announced, Johansen issued a challenge t walk him for any distanco, from 10. miles up t a 24 hours' contest, for a side-wager up t .£IOO. ' It is not unlikely that a contest simi lar to the one just decided will bo held i: Melbourne during Fleet Week.