Frederick Appleby (30 October 1879 – 7 April 1956) was a British

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. In 1902 Appleby set a

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

for 15 miles and twice defeated the leading distance runner of the time,

Alfred Shrubb Alfred Shrubb (12 December 1879 – 23 April 1964) known as Alfie Shrubb was an English middle and long-distance runner. During an amateur career lasting from 1899 to 1905 (when he was barred from amateur competition for receiving payment for r ...

. Appleby competed in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

as a

marathoner The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

, but failed to finish.

Career

Appleby had a number of top six finishes at the

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the officia ...

between 1900 and 1902, placing runner-up to defending champion

over 4 miles (6.44 km) in 1902. Appleby twice defeated Shrubb over 15 miles (24.14 km) that year. The first of these races was held at Fallowfield on 19 April; the field also included twelve other runners, including

Albert Aldridge Albert James Aldridge (born 13 April 1864 – died 22 June 1891) was an English footballer who played as a full back. He was born in Walsall, won the FA Cup in 1888 and represented the England national football team twice. Career Aldridge sta ...

, who went on to win the AAA 10 mile championship in 1905 and 1906. Shrubb was the world's best distance runner at the time, and although he was better at shorter distances, he still started the race as the favorite. Shrubb did build a large lead early on, while Appleby started slow; however, he moved steadily up the field, catching and passing Shrubb, who had problems with his right leg, with one mile to go. Appleby won the race in 1:22:41, ahead of Aldridge, who also passed Shrubb in the final stages. The second race was held at

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...

on 21 July and ended in another victory for Appleby, whose time of 1:20:04.6 broke both Sid Thomas's amateur world record of 1:22:15.4 and

William Howitt William Howitt (18 December 1792 – 3 March 1879), was a prolific English writer on history and other subjects. Howitt Primary Community School in Heanor, Derbyshire, is named after him and his wife. Biography Howitt was born at Heanor, Derbysh ...

's professional record of 1:22:00. This time Appleby led most of the way; Shrubb stayed with him until the last lap, and although he eventually lost by 11 seconds he was also well under the previous records. Appleby's splits at 13 miles and 14 miles were also world records, and his split at 12.5 miles (20.12 km) was a best both for that distance and the shorter 20 000 metres. After 1902 Appleby concentrated on his career as a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

, although he continued competing in

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races. He was selected for Britain's twelve-man marathon contingent for the

; the reasons for his selection are unclear, as he did compete in the main tryout race but failed to finish. In the Olympic marathon he dropped out around 19 miles while among the leaders, having problems with his feet. Appleby briefly became a professional runner in 1909, running several races on the North American professional circuit. He twice faced Paul Acoose, an upcoming

Native Canadian In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...

runner, over 15 miles; Acoose won the first race by a lap, running 1:22:22, an indoor world record for the distance, while Appleby won the rematch after tacks were thrown on the track. Appleby, with his thick rubber-soled shoes, was not inconvenienced by the tacks, while Acoose, who had been in the lead, used

moccasin A moccasin is a shoe, made of deerskin or other soft leather, consisting of a sole (made with leather that has not been "worked") and sides made of one piece of leather, stitched together at the top, and sometimes with a vamp (additional panel o ...

s that they easily penetrated; he was forced to quit. Gamblers backing Appleby were suspected, and all bets on the race were eventually declared void. Appleby represented the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

club of

Herne Hill Harriers The Herne Hill Harriers is an amateur athletics sports club based at Tooting Bec Athletics Track in Tooting Bec, London. The club was founded in the Herne Hill district of London in 1889. The club caters to all levels and ages of track, field, road ...

. He returned to dentistry after his short professional running career.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Appleby, Fred 1879 births 1956 deaths People from Brixton English male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Great Britain English dentists World record setters in athletics (track and field)