Career
Larner was a Brighton policeman, and took up athletics at the age of 28 in 1903. He went on to retain these titles in the following year. He wanted to retire as he found training conflicted with his job, but was instead granted an extended leave period by the Police Force.
In 1906, he took a two-year break from athletics to train for the upcoming 1908 Summer Olympics held in London.
He competed for Great Britain in the 1908 Summer Games in the 3500 metre walk on 14 July 1908, winning the race ahead of fellow Briton Ernest Webb, who took silver, and New Zealander Harry Kerr. Afterwards he matched this with another gold medal in the 10-mile walk, this time in a British clean sweep, with Webb again winning silver and Edward Spencer winning bronze.
Both he and Webb were inside the world record time, with Larner setting world records for both the 9-mile and the 10-mile distances. His final time was 1 hour, 15 minutes and 57.4 seconds.
In 1909 he wrote a book on walking entitled Larner"s Text Book on Walking: Exercise, Pleasure, Sport.
Larner broke the world record in walking in all distances between two miles and ten miles, and the longest distance in one hour, which he set at 13,275 metres (8249 mi). The record he set for the 2-mile on 14 July 1904 stood for the following 39 years. The 1908 Summer Games was the only time that either the men"s 10-mile walk or the 3500 metre walk took place.
Larner"s name has been carried on the front of a Scania Omnidekka bus in the fleet of Brighton & Hove Business and Coach Company since October 2007.