Henry Barrett

Henry Barrett
Personal information
NationalityBritish (English)
Born30 December 1879
Hounslow, London, England
Died18 December 1927(1927-12-18) (aged 47)
Wandsworth, London, England
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
Long-distance running
ClubPolytechnic Harriers
Achievements and titles
Personal bestsMarathon: 2:42:31 (Poly, 1909)

Henry Frederick Barrett (30 December 1879 – 18 December 1927) was a British long-distance runner who competed at two Olympic Games and set a world's best in only his second marathon.

Biography

Barrett represented Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, and failed to finish in the men's marathon.

On 8 May 1909, he set a world's best in only his second marathon with a time of 2:42:31 at the Polytechnic Marathon.

Barrett represented Great Britain at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, in the men's marathon event and failed to finish again.

Barrett was an electrician from Hounslow.

Notes

  1. ↑ According to the progression of world bests listed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), James Clark set a world best of 2:46:52.8 in New York on 12 February 1909, Albert Raines broke Clark's mark with a 2:46:04.6 in New York on 8 May 1909, and Henry Barrett broke Raines' mark with a 2:42:31.0 in London on 26 May 1909. Ian Ridpath, a former director of the Polytechnic marathon, has indicated on his website that some sources have wrongly listed the date of Barrett's performance as 26 May 1909 and has confirmed the true date as 8 May 1909. An article in The Times dated 10 May 1909 provides strong evidence that Ridpath is correct. Given that Barrett's marathon in London most likely concluded before Raines' marathon held on the same date in New York, it is also likely that Barrett rather than Raines broke the world best set by Clark three months earlier.

References

  1. ↑ "Olympic Games, Britain's team of athletes". Liverpool Daily Post. 12 June 1908. Retrieved 11 April 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ↑ "The Olympic Games, British Representatives". The Sportsman. 12 June 1908. Retrieved 11 April 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. 1 2 "Frederick Lord". Olympedia. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. p. 565. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  5. ↑ "The Polytechnic Marathon 1909–1996".
  6. ↑ "The Polytechnic Hariers". The Times. 10 May 1909. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Lambie, James (2010). "A Marathon Trophy". The Story of Your Life: A History of the Sporting Life Newspaper (1859-1998. Leicester, UK: Troubadour Publishing Ltd. pp. 276–278. ISBN 9781848762916.