Founded 1968 | ||
The Brotherhood of Centurions is a club for which racewalkers are eligible who have completed a distance of 100 miles (160.9 km) in Britain within 24 hours. Its name derives from a popular title from those competitors achieving the feat in the 19th century British long-distance walking sport, called Pedestrianism.
Pedestrianism was to be a popular spectator sport during the 18th and 19th centuries, as equestrianism still is, and bicycle racing became afterwards. Among the most famous professional pedestrians of that time was Robert Barclay Allardice, who completed one mile (1.6 km) in each of 1000 sequential hours.
In 1911, the Centurion title was set up as an award for amateur racewalkers. The first number was awarded to James Edwin Fowler-Dixon for a performance in London in 1877, and who was also elected the first president. Since 1902, 100-mile (160 km) racewalks were performed on a regular base. Centurion qualifying races are held annually in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man, generally on roads. In addition to the British Centurions, Centurion clubs with their own qualifying races exist in the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia.