The column placed Milner eighth as it turned to footballers who have taken the 26.2-mile distance more seriously. One described runner was a 40-year-old whose build was likened to a wrestler rather than a distance specialist.
Schürrle had already looked beyond a single marathon. This year the 35-year-old finished the 167.7-mile, six-stage Marathon des Sables in 51hr 41min 16sec, 675th overall.
The Knowledge also carried unrelated archive notes, including first club websites, wartime kit commemorations and a query on headed goals of the season.
The Premier League’s record appearance maker thereby moved the conversation on from an earlier, still respectable, clocking.
That physique, the piece noted, had not stopped a strong showing.
He has since tried longer distances as he has aged, while still believing he may have one or two quicker marathons left.
Aberystwyth Town were among clubs marking 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War. Portsmouth’s kit carried names of fallen soldiers.
A sub-three-hour marathon remains a tight circle. The same round-up said only five footballers had been found in that group. One runner said he had thought he would never improve his personal best.