Victor Aitken, 1909.
| |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | (1887-05-23)23 May 1887 Coburg, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 31 October 1962(1962-10-31) (aged 75) Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Long-distance running |
| Event | Marathon |
Victor Aitken (23 May 1887 – 31 October 1962)[1] was an Australian long-distance runner. He competed in the men's marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics.[2] He was a non-smoker and teetotaller.
Aitken's first notable achievement in athletics was when he came second in the 1905 one-mile walking championship of Victoria and he also came second in the 1907 5-mile championship of Victoria in Ballarat. He them came first in the 7-mile open handicap at Heidelberg and the 10-mile championship of Victoria breaking the record by completing it in 59 minutes and 5 seconds.
In 1908 Aitken was selected as a Marathon representative for the Olympic Games in London and he ran twenty-two and a half miles before retiring due to "sleepiness". A week after arriving home from the Olympics he came sixth in the 10-mile championship. In 1909 he achieved record times in his three and five-mile club races and he broke his own record in the 10-mile championship of Victoria by 19 seconds.[3]
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