Evening star., 1937-05-30


Evening Star marathon for the ma
tional championship. It's no mean
feat Of endurance to run 26 miles, 385
yards at fairly rapid clip, but the
marathon, as a test Of the toughness
Of the human body, is not to be COM
pared with some of the ordeals under
gone by endurance horseback riders
in England during the first half of
the nineteenth century.
The records they established never
have been beaten, probably, because
this sort Of marathoning long since
has become obsolete.
The iron man, and at the same time
the most picturesque figure in these
riding marathons was one George
Obaldston, temperamental, irascible
sporting squire"
Makes Bet Of S5O,0O0.
IN 1881 he made bet of 10000
00O) with a certain Gen.
Charrettie that he could ride 200 miles
in 10 hours. He Immediately went
into training. His schedule was to
ride from IS to 70 miles every morning
and to spend the rest OF the day shoot
Ing partridges to loosen up his muscles.
The day OF the ride Obaldston
appeared jauntily attired in a purple
silk jacket, black velvet cap and doe
skin breeches. The test was to be
made over a 4-mile course. TWENTY
eight horses were made ready, each
with saddle covered with lambskin,
There were many side bets, the pre-
Valllng rate being five to two on the
squire. Perhaps the biggest of these
was made by John Gully, former
puglllstic champion of England and
then a member of Parliament. He
bet $1,000 to floo that his friend
Ooaldston would make good.
The Squire Collects.
HE DID-in 8 hours and ~ minutes
Below is his record.
"a miles, l hour % minutes. Six
horses used.
48 miles, 2 hours minute S
seconds. Twelve horses used.
so miles, 2 hours 33 minutes. Fifteen
horses used.
70 miles, 3 hours minutes. Eight
cen horses used.
80 miles, 3 hours Is minutes.
Twenty horses used.
100 miles, hours 20 minutes
Twenty-four horses used.
120 miles, 5 hours IL minutes 30
seconds. Thirty horses used.
l80 miles, 7 hours So seconds.
$50 miles, six hours, 49 minutes.
Thirty-nine horses used.
l80 miles, seven hours, So seconds.
Forty-five horses used
200 miles, hours ~ minutes
Fifty horses used.
Some Of the horses were ridden four
times.
AS soon as he had finished this
grueling test Obalston rode to town.
took a warm bath. was rubbed down
with OIL and played cards until 3 am.
Challenge Unaccepted.
THE next day the squire issued a
challenge which found no takers
Il challenge any man in the world of
any age, weighing or carrying my
weight, to ride any distance he pre-
fers from 200 to 500 miles for 10000
pounds or I'll take 10000 pounds to
5000 pounds or 10000 to 5000
that I will ride 200 miles in 8
hours, which 1t must be admit
ted would be wonderful performance
for II stone odd, and 1 think almost
impossible. A single accident would
lose me the match and I would hardly
have time to mount and dismount."
Everybody was afraid of him. He
had hot temper and was sure shot
in a duel. Duels were his favorite
sport.
He would often spend 4S hours with
out sleep, spending all day in the
saddle and all night at the card table
About the same time Capt. Horne
a British army officer in India. set g
record by riding 200 miles in less thar
10 hours between Madras and Banga
lore. The next year he died from the
exertion of riding 100 miles day fol
eight days.
Another British officer named Bacor
rode camel 800 miles in eight days
Other Riding Feats.
OTHERS of these famous riding
marathons cleaned from the mid.
century British sporting press are a.:
follows
A Mr.. Wilde rode 127 miles in {
hours and 81 minutes. He used II
horses.
An Englshman named Thornhill ir
1745 rode from Stilton to London anc
back, 213 miles, in 81 hours and -
seconds, using the same horse all the
way.
In 1862 another Englishman, Shatre
rode so miles in l hour and 40 min.
utes.. He used 10 horses, riding FIVE
Of them twice.
Still another Ehglishman namet
Shattoe in 1853 rode 100 miles a day
for 20 days. Under the terms Of hi.
bet he was allowed one horse day
One day he rode 160 miles, but usel
two horses.
There were all sorts Of freak race:
OF this sort One of the most pic.
turesque of them was that in which
before $4,000 spectators the Marqui.
of Queensbury, the promulgator o.
the Queensbury rules for the ring
drove four horses hitched to car.
riage 10 miles in an hour. He wor
| a hot of I nm r0DnHs