Although Scottish-born, George Curtis Locke Wallach , moved to England in 1905 but returned regularly to Scotland for the Championships, winning the Scottish AAA 4 miles in 1911 and 1913, and the 10 miles in 1913-14, setting a new Scottish record in both years. Wallach won the Scottish cross-country in 1914 and 1922, and between 1910 and 1924 represented Scotland nine times in the International Cross Country Championship, all the more remarkable as the International was suspended for the
duration of the First World War.
Wallach’s athletic career was eventful. Arguably his finest run was in his first international championship in Belfast in 1910. Having achieved 3rd place in the English championships in 1910, he was selected by Scotland to run in Belfast. Approaching the final run in at Belvoir Park, Wallach was forcibly removed from the international race by the police while in first place. Police officers had noticed that his shorts had been substantially torn while negotiating the barbed wire fences of the course and on grounds of public decency, removed him. He was forced to watch Wood of England and Essex Beagles run past and win the individual title, a result that cost him the title and the Scottish team a certain second placing in the team contest.
Wallach went on to represent Great Britain in the inaugural 10,000 metres at the Stockholm Olympics of 1912. His outstanding cross country achievement was second place in the international cross country championships of 1914. Despite leading for most of the race at Chesham, Wallach fell at the final water jump and could not catch Nicholls of England who had overtaken him.
George Wallach, was an outstanding athlete; in his final representative honour gained in 1924, he was the first Scot home , two days after celebrating his 42nd birthday, this when the average life expectancy of the time was between 45 to 50 years of age. The twelfth of eighteen children, he died aged 96 in 1979.
Wallach’s achievements for Scotland in the international cross country championships were outstanding with one silver, one bronze, two fourth placings plus a further two top ten places spanning his nine representative appearances over fourteen years.
From Colin Shields book Runs Will Take Place Whatever the Weather: The Centenary History of the Scottish Cross Country Union 1890-1990.
