It's the Journey

Today, Sunday 24th April, is just the day to record what little is known about an annual event which once passed through the East End of St Albans.

The emotion involved in watching the process of thirty-six thousand runners pacing the streets of London, is insignificant compared with the bravery and effort of those same magnificent athletes pounding along the blue lines.  But each year yet more potential finishers join the list.

Before WW1 and during the inter-war years another annual event was taking place, but on a much, much smaller scale.  It had nothing to do with fundraising, or mass participation, or sponsorship, and it certainly wasn't a marathon.

Although the headline says otherwise, it was definitely a Hatfield to
St Albans event.  COURTESY HERTS ADVERTISER

Interest in athletics in general and St Albans City Athletic Club in particular, had grown since  facilities were provided at the 1894 Clarence Park.  The park was the athletics centre for the city, until emphasis moved to Westminster Lodge in the 1960s.

Cross country runs had always been popular among serious runners, especially those who enjoyed getting wet and dirty.   Someone then had the bright idea of a road run, presumably for athletes who disliked ditches, fences, gates,  shrubbery and other obstacles, which may have included field animals.

The route chosen was from Salisbury Square, Hatfield, to Market Square, St Albans.  It is assumed that the event was popular, because the event was run annually, presumably with the exception of WW1.  By the 1920s there was only sporadic reportage in the Herts Advertiser, and in 1933 the newspaper indicated there were just twelve participants.  In 1927 there had been even fewer; illness being given as the reason.  So, it could not be identified as a large scale event!

While today crowd fencing would be erected, traffic diverted and a police and marshal presence engaged, it is assumed the runners looked after themselves, crossed streets and ran near the road edge, dodging any vehicles they encountered.

The route itself would, though, have been more straightforward.  There was no Town Centre and no Barnet Bypass (Comet Way).  It would have used New Town and St Albans Road West, passing a few new large villas on the right (now demolished) on the way along the narrow main road to Nast Hyde.  The country lane nature of the road would have persisted until the runners reached the partly-developed Fleetville at Ashley Road.  Although it was a made-up roadway, the rest of the route included the drag past Clarence Park and a further drag until reaching The Peacock public house.  No rest though, for it would have been necessary to dodge the market throng in St Peter's Street.  While many of today's events take place on Sundays,  activity on the first day of the week was severely restricted, and so took place on a Saturday.

The torch relay moves along Hatfield Road, Fleetville, on its way towards
the city centre.

We know how much crowd support there would be if a mass participation event was to take place along St Albans Road west and Hatfield Road today – the Torch Relay in 2012 is testament to that.

Is anyone up for organising a 10K event between Hatfield and St Albans once more?