The 1948 Olympic marathon
A route through Hertfordshire
The idea of staging the Olympics in London had first been raised by Lord Burghley of the British Olympic Association in 1937, for the 1944 Games. War again prevented the Games from taking place, but it was decided that London should host the 1948 Olympics.
The Hertfordshire route
The routes for the 50k walk and the Marathon took the athletes through parts of Hertfordshire and its countryside. The Marathon course entered the county from Mill Hill, crossed Stirling Corner, past the Thatched Barn on the Barnet by-pass, past Elstree War Memorial, along Theobald Street and into Radlett. The course then took the runners through Elstree village and rejoined the main road to Edgware for the final run back in to the stadium.
A dramatic finish
The closing stages of this race were as exciting and dramatic as they had been in 1908. Etienne Gailly of Belgium was the first to enter the stadium, but he could scarcely put one foot in front of the other and he was soon passed by
Delfo Cabrera of Argentina, closely followed by Tom Richards of Great Britain. Cabrera cruised comfortably to the finish with Richards in second place, while Gailly agonisingly managed to scrape the bronze medal.
The Olympic fireman
At the time of his Olympic win Cabrera was a fireman, but when he returned home he and his wife were given a house by the Peron government and he went on to qualify as a professor of physical education. Tom Richards was a very experienced marathon runner and in 1945 he had set a world’s fastest time for 30 miles on the road. He was still road-racing at the age of 62.
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I was privileged to work with Tom Richards when I was a student nurse at Tooting Bec Hospital, South London, in the early 1960s. He was one of the gentlest and caring people I have ever encountered and all the patients held him in the highest regard. Tom rarely talked about his success as a runner, though three times a week he organised running sessions for staff at the hospital on Tooting Bec Common. He believed that joining an athletics group was the best way of feeling part of an organisation and he was always ready to give good advice as to how people could improve their running and stay healthy. He commanded great respect throughout the hospital and in addition to being blessed with a great talent for running he also had a great sense of humour. He made a lasting impression on me and I am grateful to have known him
Has any one any recollections about the Scouts role as markers for the Marathon/Walk in 1948?
I was a 10 year old boy, living in Harlesden, about 3 miles from Wembley stadium at the time of the 1948 olympics. I spent a lot of time outside Wembley stadium getting autographs from competitors. One autograph I obtained was from a competitor in his running gear as he went into the stadium. It read Tom Richards, and I had no idea who he was. But later that day heard that he had come second in the marathon!