Harry Payne (athlete)
British long-distance runner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harry William Payne (5 September 1892 – 5 July 1969) was a British long-distance runner who competed in the marathon at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and was a two-time national champion.[1] He was born in Bedfordshire.
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Payne at the 1928 Summer Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | 5 September 1892 Oakley, England |
| Died | 5 July 1969 (aged 76) Theydon Bois, England |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | long-distance |
| Club | Woodford Green AC |
Athletics
On 26 May 1928, Payne debuted at the marathon distance and posted a fourth-place finish at the Polytechnic Marathon (2:54:50.8). Six weeks later on 6 July 1928, he became the British marathon champion after he won the Amateur Athletic Association's marathon in only his second marathon.[2] His performance of 2:34:34 set on the Polytechnic Marathon course was a new British record.[2] The following month, an injured Payne finished 13th in marathon at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam (2:42:29).
At the 1929 AAA Championships, Payne's 2:30:57.6 mark would earn him a second consecutive title[3][4] and recapture the British marathon record from Sam Ferris – a mark that would stand for 22 years.[nb 1]In 2024, this mark was indicated by World Athletics as a world record.[7] With this performance, Payne was ranked first in the marathon for 1929.[8][9]
He competed in the marathon at the 1930 British Empire Games for England[10] but did not finish the race, largely due to being struck by a car when training for the event several days earlier, injuring his head, knee hip and shoulder.[11]
Personal life
He was a clerk at the time of the 1930 Games and lived in Woodford Green.[12]
Notes
- The International Association of Athletics Federations does not indicate that Payne's mark was a world best performance;[5] however, it does appear as such in a similar list compiled by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians.[6]
