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Sep Francom- (1882 - 1965)

A founder member, Sep Francom was the leading runner in the club's early years. A life-long Wirral resident, he was already an established athlete on the local scene, having been Senior Captain of Sefton Harriers in 1905. After his win in 1912 mentioned above, he went on to win the L&D Cross Country title again in 1913 and 1914, when the First World War cut short his run of success. When the championships restarted, he led the Wirral team to a further win in 1921 and took the individual title himself in 1922, beating his 20 year-old son, Arthur, into second place, a family double which is unlikely to be repeated. Sep had considerable success on the national marathon scene, winning the Hull "20 Mile Marathon" three years in succession between 1912 and 1914 and the handsome winners trophy outright. In fact, he was selected to run for Great Britain in the Olympic Marathon in Stockholm in 1912, where sadly he figured on the list of non-finishers on a hot day. In the photograph below, Sep, wearing his GB vest from that occasion, is seen with his son following their L&D double act. Arthur's vest proclaims his membership of Hercules A C, evidence of an interesting episode in the club's history.