Alf Tupper, aka The Tough of the Track, first appeared in The Rover (1922-1973) in 1949 and became the flagship character in The Victor (1961-1992).

He trains on the canalside, works as a welder, lives under the railway arches and loves fish and chips. Tupper embodies honest guts and is always fighting snobs and cheats against apparently impossible odds. His emblem, often printed on the front of his running vest, is the lone wolf.

The Tough has inspired generations of middle-distance and long-distance runners such as Ron Hill, who represented Britain in the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics and was world record holder at various distances. Ron Hill's home page - see how he idolised Alf at http://realrunner.com/ukandeurope/ronhill/ronhill.htm

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