The First Ultra Runners
The first ultra runners
Today ultra running is growing fast, yet it was the Victorians who were the first pioneers of the sport. Read what life was like 100 years ago for the first ultra runners.
If you were told by somebody that during the 1870s and 1880s, men competed against each other in gruelling endurance races, some covering over 100 miles a day for six straight days on indoor sawdust tracks, you probably wouldn’t believe it yet these were the pioneers of today's ultra running.
Getting just a few hours of rest per day in makeshift huts and literally “eating on the trot,” these pioneering “ultra-ultra” long-distance athletes underwent tremendous hardships - all in the name of sport.
“Pedestrianism” (walking and running races) was a huge spectator sport back in Victorian times. Indeed in 1879, when these events were at their most popular, the world was gripped with what was known as the Pedestrian Mania!
Often referred to as “walking matches,” or “go-as-you-please races,” these events took place worldwide where the best of the “peds” (as the professional pedestrians who competed in them were affectionately known) were rewarded with prize money, a share of the gate receipts and dazzling ornamental gold belts from ruthless promoters who made lucrative livings from the thousands of screaming fans who flocked to watch them.
Indeed, this hugely popular 19th century sport was the “must see” spectator event of the time and those who witnessed it were thrilled at the sight before them.
Madison Square Garden, New York, 1879
While we are on the subject of prize money - would you also believe that an Englishman won $50,000 in just two races at Madison Square Garden, New York, in 1879?
That same man covered an astonishing total of 150 miles in 22 hours and 30 minutes on the very first day of a six day go-as-you-please race in 1882 – a record which wasn’t beaten for many, many years.
Talking of records, another Englishman made a six-day indoor record of 623¾ miles, again in New York, but this time in 1888.
That world-record distance was beaten 96 years later, but on an outdoor track - which wasn’t 8 laps to the mile, which wasn’t in a tobacco laden atmosphere and which wasn’t against 40 or so other competitors. No - he did it with the added benefit of modern footwear, a much more educated diet – and the rest!
Like modern day sports stars, these Victorian sporting superstars had tremendous pulling power and the punters just loved them!
Cheering for the likes of “Black Dan”, “Blower” Brown, the “Brooklyn Cobbler”, the “Cambridge Wonder”, the “Flying Collier”, the “Sharp Sheffield Blade” and the “Wily Wobbler” (an American, who in England in 1876 attracted well over a quarter of a million people to watch him perform in matter of weeks), the turnstiles couldn’t click fast enough to get them all in.
For the basic admission price of say 25 cents, or a shilling, the spellbound could watch the races either within the confines of the track, or, for double that amount, a seat in the galleries.
The events also pulled in the ladies. The attraction for them was not only the sight of the colourfully costumed competitors, but their muscular frames as well!
Performing bands had a major influence on the performance of the athletes on the track, and the majority of the “peds” would respond positively to the musician’s efforts by sprinting around the track in response to popular “numbers” of the time.
Bookmakers were, more often than not, present at the tracks where their presence could cause some problems for the promoters of the events. Big money was placed on the outcomes of races, and sometimes there were attempts to influence the result!
If you'd like to find out more about the first ultra runners then check out the book King of the Peds by P.S Marshall.
It concisely covers the history of the sport, provides a build up to the races, focuses on the personalities involved and provides pre-race and post race interviews. It also offers an in depth analysis of the “matches” of the time. From the start to the finish, the performances of the participating “peds” are covered in detail with comparisons being made to previous races.
The book is published by Authorhouse at £18.99.
To buy, visit http://kingofthepeds.com
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