Captain Robert Barclay was a Scottish long distance runner and walker of the early 19th century known as 'the celebrated pedestrian'. Running One Thousand Miles brings Barclay's story to children's historical fiction, providing the excitement of what was an actual event many years ago. In 1809 Barclay accepted the challenge to walk and run one thousand miles in one thousand hours, on Newmarket Heath, with prize money of one thousand guineas if he achieved the target. However, he was only permitted to complete one mile in each hour and each hour had to have one completed mile. This meant that he would need to walk twenty four miles a day for almost six weeks. Fatigue and sore legs as well as a lack of sleep made the target difficult. Not to mention there were others keen to set obstacles in his way in order to make the competition more difficult. Barclay would need careful organisation and strong guards if he was to succeed... Running One Thousand Miles is a thrilling historical story that will be enjoyed by children aged 8-12.
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Robin Campbell was previously a primary school teacher and headteacher. He is now Emeritus Professor of Primary Education at the University of Hertfordshire. He completed a PhD with research into infant children learning to read. A more recent study led to the publication of Reading with Alice and in the USA Read-Alouds with Young Children.
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