The New Year Sprint (formerly the Powderhall Sprint) is the name of a handicap sprint race for professional athletes that takes place each year in Scotland. The sprint is one of the original events of this type, tracing its history back to 1870.

Origins

The race was originally called the Powderhall Sprint after the

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

where it first took place.http://www.scotsman.com/sport/more-sport/athletics/powderhall-athletics-tradition-a-tribute-to-champion-1-3251446 "Powderhall athletics tradition a tribute to champion", Sandy Sutherland, The Scotsman, 13 April 2013. The Powderhall Sprint was one of a circuit of professional handicap sprint races that prospered in the late nineteenth century in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The handicap system meant the highly rated runners ran longer distance than the less highly rated runners - the handicap being determined by previous results. Those runners that had to run the full distance, the most highly rated, were running from 'scratch'. A huge amount of betting surrounded all the professional races and they were often shrouded in allegations of fraud to ensure a winner favourable to the bookmakers. The race later moved from Powderhall to the

Meadowbank Stadium Meadowbank Stadium (officially the Meadowbank Sports Centre) is a multi-purpose sports facility located in the Meadowbank area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Built on the site of the earlier New Meadowbank and Old Meadowbank sports venues, it was ori ...

in Edinburgh and then onto

Musselburgh Racecourse Musselburgh Racecourse is a horse racing venue located in the Millhill area of Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, UK, close to the River Esk. It is the second biggest racecourse in Scotland (the first being Ayr) and is the fourteenth bigges ...

.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/dec/22/powderhall-sprint-professional-running "Days of bookies, fast bucks and foot soldiers at the Powderhall Sprint", Harry Pearson, The Guardian, 22 December 2011. The move, in 1971, to the

happened after the newly opened venue had hosted the 1970 Commonwealth Games. The Powderhall Stadium had hosted the Powderhall Sprint uninterrupted, including through two world wars, since 1870, apart from a brief break in 1953 and between 1958 and 1964 when various venues in Scotland hosted the race. In 1999, the race moved to Musselburgh Racecourse.

Present Race

The present race is run at

and is now run over 110 meters, with the winner receiving GBP£4,000. In 1993, amateur athletes were allowed to compete for the first time without the risk of losing their amateur status. The race was moved to mid-January 2021.

Famous Competitors

The New Year Sprint in its various incarnations has attracted many of the world's top sprinters. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it attracted the great Australian sprinter Jack Donaldson and British Olympic medal winner Willie Applegarth. Willie McFarlane won the race 2 years in succession in 1933 and 1934, the latter from scratch- a record that still stands. in 1951, Geoff Harrington from Brownhills won the race, beating Eric Cumming, and beating the 150-year-old record with a time of 11.5 seconds In 1952, the great Australian sprinter Eric Cumming was champion and the American Olympian

Barney Ewell Henry Norwood "Barney" Ewell (February 25, 1918 – April 4, 1996) was an American athlete, winner of one gold and two silver medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Born into poverty in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Ewell was one of the world's lead ...

was a competitor. In 1970, the winner was

George McNeill George William McNeill Jr. (born October 2, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour with victories at the 2007 Frys.com Open and the 2012 Puerto Rico Open. Biography McNeill was born and raised in Napl ...

who is the holder of the world professional 120 yards record. In 1987, the former United States collegiate 200 m champion William Snoddy won.

References

{{New Year Athletics competitions in Scotland Recurring sporting events established in 1870 New Year celebrations Sprint (running) Annual sporting events in the United Kingdom Sport in East Lothian 1870 establishments in Scotland

Origins

Present Race

Famous Competitors

See also

References