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One
hundred years of walking
1899-1999
For over
100 years, the race walkers of
Surrey Walking Club have been notable for representing the Club and country in both
Olympic and Commonwealth
Games as well as
in many international races at home
and abroad.
The Club was founded in 1899 and was the first athletics club
in
the UK to specialise in walking, and like most clubs at the
time, it was "Men
Only"
Happily,
times have changed and today all the family is welcome.
The Club is also famous for promoting long distance
walks.
London to Brighton (and back) was a regular fixture from 1902
to1967. Although the Club no
longer organises this race, many
Club members have taken part in the Stock Exchange London to Brighton (and won)
The Club has also played a key role in founding the Brotherhood
of Centurions and to qualify for membership, a recognised 100 mile
walk in 24 hours must be achieved. (Yes, it can be done!)
The Centurions have their own web site (see Links
page)
and many Surrey members have
indeed achieved this status, as well as taking an active part in promoting
ultra distance walking.
Races attracted a large number of walkers in
its early years. Sadly, the field has dwindled considerably over the last couple
of decades.
For nearly 40
years the Club's badge was the swastika, always known as an
ancient
symbol of good fortune, but unfortunately in the1920s
another group (not race walkers!) also adopted this
badge as
their emblem.
Needless to say, Surrey
immediately changed their emblem!
Today, we have two stripes, the broader
stripe representing the
road and the narrower stripe representing the country footpaths and trails.
From it's early days, Surrey Walking Club encouraged walking
on
road, track and in the country, and this tradition continues
today.
The Club has a very
active strolling section with conducted walks
with many interesting walks through the Surrey countryside, usually starting and finishing at railway
stations.
See the
Strolling Section
for
more information.
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