Septimus Francom (14 September 1882 – 15 March 1965) 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 stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

. He specialised in

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

and the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), 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 ...

. He won several marathons (Hull 1912, 1913, 1914) and cross country races (Liverpool and District cross-country champion, 1912–23). He competed in the

at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

, but did not finish the race. He worked at Prenton Golf Club and later the railways. He practiced running along the track because the spacing of the

railway sleepers Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...

suited his racing stride. He had a son who also raced competitively. Francom was also successful with racing pigeons.

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* 1882 births 1965 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics British male long-distance runners British male marathon runners Olympic athletes for Great Britain People from Thingwall Sportspeople from Wirral People from Cheshire (before 1974) English male long-distance runners English male marathon runners {{England-longdistance-athletics-bio-stub