22. Lon Myers, an amazing American sprinter and middle distance runner of the late 19th century, set an astonishing number of records during his career, including eleven world records. He won one race wearing only one shoe, and another race - how?
From Quiz Bit of This and That No 2
Answer:
Running sidewards
Lon Myers (1858-1899) was born in Richmond, Virginia. His career record is remarkable, and for a sportsperson, is worthwhile reading and gaping at. This included holding every record for races over various distances (50 yards and upwards), fifteen US, ten Canadian and three British national titles. The list of his wins is far too long to include here. On two separate occasions, he even won four different events on the same day! He was so good, in fact, that he wasn't allowed to compete in some events because the other runners refused to run against him. This unique runner was one incredible athlete.
After he retired from the sport, the English media began to infer that Americans used faulty watches at their races, with the suggestion being that Myers wasn't nearly as good as his records stated. Myers, a year out of the game, promptly came back out of retirement and beat the English champion at three separate races at Madison Square Garden. The English champion, George, stated he only lost because of the "slow track, sharp turns, and smoke and confusion" at the Garden. So the following year, this time in Australia, the two champions squared off again. After Myers won the first two races, George didn't run the third, and caught the boat back to England.