Born in England, George landed in Canada in 1904, establishing himself first as a marathoner, and then making a name for himself in the race walk. George competed in the 1908 Olympic Games in London (England, United Kingdom) finishing nineteenth in the marathon and fourth in the 3500m race walk.

Over the course of his career, George had 300 career wins at distances ranging from one mile to 40 miles. In 1910, he won a one-mile race in Montréal (Québec, Canada), setting a new world record of 6:25.8. At the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm (Sweden), the race walk event was increased to 10,000m – and George set such a blistering pace that he won in a new world record time of 46:28.4. George successfully competed in many stunt races, racing against relay teams and a man driving a horse and buggy. He was honoured in Toronto by a victory parade down Yonge Street.

Unfortunately, World War 1 pre-empted the 1916 Olympic Games, however, it did not stop George from setting a world record in a seven-mile walk event held in 1915. After his career was over, George gave back his sport by working as an official.

George was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1949) and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (1955)