Harold Webster

As early as 1928, marathon runner Harold Webster was considered a potential Olympic prospect for Canada and, although he was named to the Canadian delegation that year, he did not compete. His international debut, therefore, would have to wait two years until he ran the six mile race, finishing tenth, at the 1930 British Empire Games. At the 1931 Olympic trials he broke the course record and captured the marathon event, but again did not start in the competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics. His greatest victory came when he won the marathon at the 1934 British Empire Games and two years later he qualified for the Canadian Olympic delegation for a third time by winning the marathon event at the Olympic trials. At the 1936 Summer Olympic he finally became an official participant in the event, but was forced to drop out after nearly being hit by a car during the race, although he was not injured.

From this point he entered into fewer and fewer competitions and, in 1943, retired from racing for good. He was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1955 and died in November 1958 from head injuries sustained in a bicycle accident. An annual ten mile Boxing Day race in Hamilton, Ontario, his hometown, was named in his honor and the Harold Webster Trophy of the CANUSA Games is given every year to the player from the host city who displays athletic ability and the tournament’s philosophy. Outside of athletics, he had a career as a steel molder.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-37:46 (1930).