In March 1804, Capt. Barclay undertook, for a wager of two hundred guineas, to walk twenty-three miles in three hours. It was intended that he should start in Hertfordshire, and finish at the Royal Exchange, London. But unfortunately, on the day appointed he was taken ill, and consequently lost his stake. The sporting world were thus disappointed; and any odds would have been laid that he should have completed the task.
On Thursday the 16th of August, Capt. Barclay, who was then a lieutenant in the 23d regiment of foot, and quartered at East Bourne in Suffolk, engaged to run two miles in twelve minutes. He accomplished this undertaking with apparent ease, in two seconds and a half within the time. The arduousness of the task was greatly increased by the excessive rain which had fallen during the two preceding days, and a high wind that blew in his face. He ran the first mile in five minutes.
On the 18th of the following month, a match, to run one mile for one hundred guineas, was performed at East Bourne between Capt. Barclay and Capt. Marston of the 48th regiment. Both gentlemen were such celebrated pedestrians, that the race attracted some hundreds of spectators, and a great deal of money was sported. Capt. Marston being known by the regiment as a swift runner, found many to back him. They started at an early hour. Capt. Barclay suffered his competitor to take the lead, and keep it for a short distance, when he passed him, and continued a-head to the end of the race, which he accomplished in five minutes and seven seconds, notwithstanding the intense heat of the day. Mr. Fletcher Reid attended as the umpire. At the same place, Capt. Barclay ran a mile against John Ireland of Manchester, one of the swiftest runners in that quarter, on the 12th of October, for a bet of five hundred guineas. Ireland gave in at three-fourths of the mile; but Capt. Barclay performed the whole distance in four minutes and fifty seconds.
In 1805, Capt. Barclay performed two long walks, at the rate of more than six miles an hour. In March, he went from Birmingham to Wrexham in North Wales, by Shrewsbury,--a distance of seventy-two miles,--between breakfast and dinner. And in July following, he walked from Suffolk Street, Charing Cross, to Seaford in Sussex--a distance of sixty-four miles--in ten hours.