Harry William Payne (5 September 1892 – 5 July 1969) was a British long-distance runner who competed in the marathon at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and was a two-time national champion.[1] He was born in Bedfordshire.
On 26 May 1928, Payne debuted at the marathon distance and posted a fourth-place finish at the Polytechnic Marathon (2:54:50.8). Six weeks later on 6 July 1928, he won the Amateur Athletic Association's marathon championship in only his second marathon.[2] His performance of 2:34:34 set on the Polytechnic Marathon course was a new British record.[2] The following month, an injured Payne finished 13th in marathon at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam (2:42:29).
At the 1929 AAA championships, Payne's 2:30:57.6 mark would earn him a second consecutive title and recapture the British marathon record from Sam Ferris – a mark that would stand for 22 years.In 2024, this mark was indicated by World Athletics as a world record.[3] With this performance, Payne was ranked first in the marathon for 1929.[4] [5]
He competed in the marathon at the 1930 British Empire Games for England.[6]
He was a clerk at the time of the 1930 Games and lived in Woodford Green.[7]