The 100 Mile Running World Record
3,276 views · Published 17 January 2018 · 5:50 · Indexed 7 October 2026
Channel: Britclip · 2018 · Sports
The 100-mile track race at Crystal Palace is not only considered a classic race but is the longest standing World Athletic Record still standing. Don Ritchie set the record on Sunday 15 October 1977, a time of an exhausting 11:30:51 which has now stood for a quarter of a century. A field of international athletes assembled at Crystal Palace National running track encouraged by a purse of £5,000 put up by William Hill Ltd, (the bookmakers) for the first athlete who is able to set a new world 100-mile record. Amongst the field Don Ritchie (MBE) was to be found, primarily to celebrate his great athletic achievement but also to encourage others to follow his example and maybe set a new world record. This record stood for 25 years until today. The Road Runners Club (RRC) is the oldest road running club in the world and also one of the few that organise ultra distance (ie longer than the marathon) races on athletic tracks. As a promoter of the 1977 race, the RRC organised this 100 Mile Race on the same tartan track of the National Sports Stadium at the Crystal Palace. This race started at 8.00 am. Weather conditions were near perfect at the start of the race, a cold but dry October morning with no wind and no sun. It remained overcast during the daylight hours of the race with the occasional light shower. During the last quarter of the race, the wind became a little gusty but subsided towards the end. From the outset there were 2 runners who set, then maintained the pace throughout. They were 2 Russian competitors, namely Oleg Kharitonov and Denis Jalybin. As the race progressed it became evident that their pace was on track to not only beat the long-standing 100 mile world record but also the 150km world record which is the shorter distance. Denis Jalybin reached the 150km mark first, setting a new world record of 10:34:30. However, on the last remaining laps of the 100-mile mark he began to falter, lost his pace and his fellow Russian compatriot Oleg Kharitonov took the trophy and set a new world record of 11:28:03 smashing the 25-year record. His average of 6:53 pace means he essentially did four marathons in a row at an average of 3:00:16.
