Sherring, "Billy" (William)
Track and Field
b. 1887, Hamilton, Ontario
d. Sept. 6, 1964
Sherring was determined to enter the 1906 Olympics, convinced that he could win the marathon. A railway brakeman, he saved money for the trip but came up short. The Hamilton, Ontario, Athletic Club raised $75 for the cause, but that wasn't enough, either. So Sherring gave the money to a bartender, who bet on a horse for him. The horse won, paid 6-1, and Sherring sailed to Athens.
The 1906 Games are known as the "intercalated" Olympics, because they were held to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the first modern Olympics, and therefore fell in a non-Olympic year.
Sherring and William Frank of the U. S. ran together for the first 28 miles of the marathon. Then Sherring said, "Well, good-bye, Billy," put on a burst of speed, and took such a commanding lead that he was able to walk part of the way to the finish line. He set a world record of 2:51:23.6.
When he returned to Hamilton, he was presented with $5,000 that the townspeople had raised for him.