Septimus Francom

Originally a cross-country runner, Septimus Francom finished ninth in the senior Northern Cross-Country Championship at Haydock Park as a 20-year-old in 1903. Nine years later he finished fourth in the 1912 Polytechnic Harriers full marathon from Windsor Castle to Stamford Bridge stadium, despite holding the lead at 20 miles. The Poly was the Olympic Marathon trial and resulted in Francom’s selection for the Great Britain team but, after being up with the leaders in the early stages of the race in Stockholm, he failed to finish. Francom won the prestigious Hull Marathon, over approximately 20 miles in 1912, 1913 and 1914, setting a new record of 1:54.8 in the first year when he beat 1900 Olympian Jack Rimmer into second place. Also in 1914 he was runner-up in the Northern Counties 10 miles at Belle Vue.

Originally Francom was employed as a greenskeeper at the Prenton Golf Club in Birkenhead, and later worked on the railways in North Wirral, running along railway tracks to work, where the distance between the sleepers exactly matched his stride length. A founding member of the Wirral Athletic Club in 1911 he was the senior captain in the year of his Olympic selection. Francom continued racing into the mid-1920s and was the Liverpool & District Cross-Country Champion every year from 1912-23. When he won the race in 1922 his son Arthur finished second. After his racing days were over, Francom enjoyed many successes with his coveted racing pigeons.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-42:05.4 (1912).