Planet UltraMarathon

We have all read about the many ultra distance events held in England and the Continent throughout

the 19th century but readers may not know that the same phenomenon was also seen in Australia in the 1880’s. The following reports on 6 Day events are taken from Australian Sport Through Time, 2003 Edition, Random House, Australia.

SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 1881 - A NICE WEEK FOR A WALK

The growing sport of pedestrianism received a boost this week with the first ever six-day-go-as-you-please tournament held in Sydney. The event, which finished yesterday, was held on a piece of land hear the Haymarket, enclosed by a large canvas tent, under the rules of Sir J. Astley Cooper, the great patron of athletics sports in England. With 16 laps to a mile, the competitors could either walk or run as they pleased. Nine competitors started the contest: Edwards, Baker, Williams. Swan, Le Petit, Reynor, Campbell, Cotton and Palmer. The first three are particularly experienced at the sport – Williams is a surprising stayer given that he is more than 50 years old.

The race started at 1 a.m. on the Monday morning. Edwards, Swan, Raynor, Baker and Campbell soon settled down to a lively pace, while Williams enlivened proceedings with his frequent bursts of running. By 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Swan had taken the lead having run more than 127 miles, a mile more than Edwards in second place.

The weather for the first three days was not exactly suited for walking, but by Thursday, it was much more pleasant. By yesterday, the last day, Swan still had the lead and any hope of an exciting finish was dashed shortly after 9 p.m. that evening when Edwards retired after 423 miles and 3 laps.

The 26-year-old Swedish born Swan was declared the winner at 11 p.m., having completed 434 miles and 5 laps. He was still walking strongly at the finish and collected the first price of _100 and a gold stopwatch.

SATURDAY 17 MARCH 1883 - CLAIMS OF FOUL PLAY IN WALKING CONTEST

William Edwards, the champion walker of Australia, has won the 6 day walking contest, covering 373 miles. His opponent, the American champion Dan O’Leary, covered 350 miles. However, he became ill and had to retire from the track so often that he had no chance of catching Edwards.

The distance travelled by the competitors falls a long way below expectations, as the backers of both men predicted at least 450 miles would be covered. O’Leary had walked more than 500 miles in nearly all his big matches and he believes his water was tampered with by treacherous attendants.

The match was originally scheduled to take place in Melbourne, but a suitable venue could not be found and so it was moved to the Exhibition Building in Prince Alfred Park in Sydney and a properly formed track was prepared there last week.

However, a day after the start of the race, the Sydney track was measured by the City Surveyor who found it to be 10 inches under the alleged distance. The necessary alteration was made and scores adjusted accordingly. About 4000 people were on hand to witness the start at 5 minutes past midnight on Monday morning and during the week, a steady stream of visitors paid for admission to watch the walkers.

THURSDAY 22 APRIL 1886 - CHAMPION WALKING MATCH

A large section of the 6000-strong crowd rushed onto the track to congratulate both New Zealand champion Edwards and the Australian champion Scott after their six day walking match ended at the Exhibition Building in Melbourne today. The track was 12 laps to the mile and Scott, the winner, covered 424 miles and 8 additional laps while Edwards covered 406 miles and 4 additional laps. The two athletes appeared on the stage to rapturous applause from the crowd.

The organizer, Mr Spofforth, congratulated Scott but said he would have liked to have seen him pushedfurther so the public might have a better idea of his speed and quality. However, it must be said that a six day contest is more a matter of endurance than one of speed.