The ''Brotherhood of Centurions'' is a club for which racewalkers are eligible who have completed a distance of 100 international miles (160.9 km) in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

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 Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

still is, and

bicycle racing Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling spo ...

became afterwards. Among the most famous professional pedestrians of that time was

Robert Barclay Allardice Robert Barclay Allardice of Ury (25 August 1779, Stonehaven, Kincardineshire – 1 May 1854), generally known as Captain Barclay, was a notable Scottish walker of the early 19th century, known as the celebrated pedestrian. His most famous feat w ...

, 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 London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1877, and who was also elected the first president. Each successful Centurion earns the next number in sequence. That number belonging to the recipient in perpetuity. Since 1902, 100 mile (160.9 km) racewalks have been performed on a regular basis, with 94 held as of 2017. Centurion qualifying races are held annually 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, including the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. In addition to the British Centurions, Centurion clubs with their own qualifying races exist in

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Each club worldwide holds the same high standard. Members must walk a distance of 100 miles (160.9 km) within 24 hours. The most successful competitor in Centurion is Sandra Brown with 25 wins of the category for ladies. Some Centurions known primarily for their achievements in other distances are Brian Adams, William Brown, John Kelly, Daniel and Dominic King,

Yiannis Kouros Yiannis Kouros (, ; born 13 February 1956 in Tripoli, Kingdom of Greece) is a Greek ultramarathon runner based in Greece. Kouros holds or formerly held many world records between 100 miles and 1,000 miles. In 1991, he starred as Pheidippid ...

, Shaul Ladany, Paul Nihill, Frank O'Reilly, Ian Richards, Don Thompson, and Rex Whitlock. A newsletter is published by Australian Centurion Tim Erickson.

References

Centurions HistoryAustralian Centurion HistoryThe complete History of United States Centurion RacesNewsletter

Centurion Members of each Club

Members list of British CenturionsMembers list of Continental CenturionsMembers list of United States CenturionsMembers list of Australian CenturionsMembers list of New Zealand CenturionsMembers list of African CenturionsMembers list of Malaysian Centurions
These Centurion Members are affiliated with Multiple Clubs
Multiple Centurion List

World Centurion Clubs

British Centurions WebsiteContinental Centurions Website
''Centurion Vereniging Nederland''
United States Centurion Website

Australian Centurions Website

New Zealand Centurions WebsiteAfrican Centurion Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Centurion (Racewalking)

Clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Club (magazine), ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands a ...

Athletics clubs in the United Kingdom Sports clubs and teams established in 1911 Walking in the United Kingdom