Alfie's Trophy's and Medals  ›  Medals with book

Among the memorabilia inherited by Alf Shrubb’s daughter Norah was this selection of medals and a copy of his 1908 coaching book ‘Running and Cross Country Running’ published in London by Health and Strength Limited. A slightly modified version of the same book was published around a year later in Toronto called ‘Long Distance Running’. Both books sold well within the athletics fraternity. The book remains a classic of its sort and one hundred years later copies are a real collector’s item and hard to come by. Top runners like Roger Bannister once recalled how he obtained the book in his youth and followed it’s sage advice and carefully worked out training schedules.

Also in the book BOSTON MARATHON by Tom Derderian it states that Johnny Miles of Canada who won the Boston Marathon in 1926

see below

Johnny decided to become a boxer like his father had been. He skipped rope, lifted weights, punched the bag, and did push-ups. He trained hard but showed no promise. So, as it is with many runners, there came a singular moment when Johnny decided to become a runner to the excusion of all else. A friend who was a middle-distance runner dropped off a book about training for running by Alfred Shrubb, a renowned runner in his day and then a coach.

The book in this picture was Alfred own copy.