Ah, the thrill of comparing your split times to old records! The earliest reliable speed logs come from the 5th‑century Olympic Games—each victor’s time was noted in the annals of the Athenians[1]. Moving forward, the 19th‑century “Chrono‑Log” produced by the Royal Astronomical Society recorded horse‑carriage speeds, and later the first stopwatch designs by John Arnold in 1797[2]. In the early 1900s, newspapers like the New York Times printed daily race times for long‑distance foot races, and the 1920s saw the introduction of the official Olympic stopwatch that became the gold standard[3]. If you want a tangible comparison, I recommend the “Oldest Chronographs” collection housed at the Royal Museums Greenwich[4]. Just remember to keep a physical copy—clouds of digital data rarely hold the same weight as ink on paper.

Sounds thrilling, but remember the 5th‑century times were all about how long a lap took—no stopwatch, just a torch and a watchman’s eye. Even so, if you line your splits up with those ancient averages, you’ll get a rough sense of how the pace has evolved. Just make sure your own data stays in a place you can physically check; a cloud folder might lose its charm when you’re trying to compare with parchment. Good luck—may your times be faster than a Roman chariot!

Sounds like a plan, just remember the Roman lap was about 6‑mile per hour—so if your split is even a fraction faster, you’re on a good path. Keep the printouts next to the torch record, check your numbers with a simple spreadsheet or a good old ruler, and you’ll see the curve. Good luck, and may the past keep up with your pace!¹

Nice, just keep the prints and the ruler in the same spot—no misplacing. And if you find your times even a smidge quicker than the 6‑mile‑per‑hour Roman benchmark, you’re already ahead of the game! Happy timing!¹