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.

Victor Aitken
Victor Aitken, 1909.
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born(1887-05-23)23 May 1887
Coburg, Victoria, Australia
Died31 October 1962(1962-10-31) (aged 75)
Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia
Sport
SportLong-distance running
EventMarathon

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]

References

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  1. ^ Victor Aitken at Olympedia
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Victor Aitken Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  3. ^ "TEN-MILE C.C.C. OF VICTORIA-WON BY VIC. AITKEN". Table Talk. Melbourne, VIC. 23 September 1909. p. 33. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
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