The 6-Day Race became a standard footrace distance in the 1870s and was a popular form of entertainment with up to 70,000 paying visitors during such a

Pedestrians A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or Road surface, pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is dis ...

event. However the widespread use of the bicycle from 1890 caused it to be replaced as spectator sport by cycle races of the same duration.Noakes, T. D., (2006) ''Basic Research in Cardiology'' 101 408–417 The limits of endurance exercise It was in two forms: strict "heel-and-toe"

racewalking Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Referee, Race judges careful ...

, or "go-as-you-please" combination of walking, jogging, running.

History

In 1773,

Foster Powell Foster Powell (1734–15 April 1793) was the first notable exponent of long-distance walking known as pedestrianismCharles G. Harper (1922) ''The Great North Road: London to York 2nd edn'' Cecil Palmer, London and has been called "the first ...

, of England, started the focus on walking/running for six days when he walked from London to York and back, , in six days and is considered the “Father of the Six-Day Race.” The first six-day race in history was put on by

P.T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...

of circus fame, in his New York City Hippodrome on March 1, 1875, between

Edward Payson Weston Edward Payson Weston (March 15, 1839 – May 12, 1929) was a notable pedestrian, who was largely responsible for the rise in popularity of the sport in the 1860s and 1870s. Biography Edward Payson Weston was born on March 15, 1839, in Providence ...

and "Professor" John R. Judd. Weston won with to Judd's . The second race was held November 15, 1875, between Weston and Daniel O'Leary in Chicago, Illinois, with O'Leary emerging victorious with and Weston finished with . On March 6, 1876, the first six-day race was held in England, inside the

Royal Agricultural Hall The Business Design Centre is a Grade II listed building located between Upper Street and Liverpool Road in the district of Islington in London, England. It was opened in 1862, originally named the Agricultural Hall and from 1884 the Royal Agri ...

, in Islington, London, won by Weston with . His nearest competitor, W. Newman finished with . The first six-day race between women was held in 1876, in Chicago Illinois, between Bertha Von Hillern and Mary Marshall. Marshal won with to . In a re-match between Weston and O'Leary in 1877, O'Leary was victorious again and the excitement created enough interest for Sir John Dugdale Astley, a British Member of Parliament, to inaugurate a series of 6 day races to determine the "Long distance Champion of The World". These became known as the "Astley Belt" races and cash prizes were offered. O'Leary won the first two and was thwarted by

Charles Rowell Charles Rowell (1852–1909) was an English athlete: a famous runner and celebrated exponent of the sport of pedestrianism race-walking.''New York Times'', September 1, 1909 "Charles Rowell Dead" Life Rowell was born in Chesterton, Cambridge ...

in his quest for three in a row. Weston won the fourth, setting a record of and Rowell won the final three

multiday races Multiday races are ultramarathon running events which are typically either segmented into daily events of a specified distance or time, or staged so that runners can run as far as they want, at their own discretion, over a set course or over a set ...

to permanently keep the Astley Belt.

The 1879 World Championship

Results

Intermediate results: * 24 hours: Guyon 105 miles; Faber 100; Byrne 95; Washington 93.5; Krohne 91; Campana 86; Colston 82; Curran 80; Urann 78; Kent 75; Forrester 67.5; Davis 60. Retired: Cotton (60) and Stark (52). * 48 hours: Guyon 187 miles; Faber 178; Krohne 172; Campana 165; Washington 161; Curran 159; Colston 150; Kent 142; Forrester 118; Davis 102. Retired: Byrne (104) and Urann. * 72 hours: Guyon 267 miles; Krohne 254; Faber 250; Campana 236; Colston 226; Curran 224; Washington 213; Kent 211; Davis 152 * 96 hours: Guyon 345 miles; Krohne 335; Faber 314; Colston 300; Curran 296; Campana 292; Davis 188. In 1880, Frank Hart set a new record of earning $17,000 dollars, a fortune at the time. Between 26 November and 1 December 1888, George Littlewood of Sheffield, England, created a new world record of 623 miles 1,320 yards—a record that wasn't beaten for 96 years. By the early 1890s the six-day races were in decline and no longer drawing the public or offering large prizes. They were discontinued by 1903 because local laws were passed to disallow amusement events lasting more than a day. It wasn't until Don Choi hosted a 6-day race on July 4, 1980. at Woodside California that interest began to grow again. Briton Mike Newton became the first man to cover 500 miles/800 km in a modern 6-day race at Nottingham in November 1981. In 1982, Tom O'Reilly took the 6-day total to 576 miles/927 km. In 1984

Yiannis Kouros Yiannis Kouros ( el, Γιάννης Κούρος, ; born 13 February 1956 in Tripoli, Kingdom of Greece) is a Greek ultramarathon runner based in Greece. He is sometimes given the epithets "Running god", "Pheidippides' Successor" or "Son of Ph ...

twice ran over setting a new world record that would stand until 2005 when he broke his own record again with at the Cliff Young Australian 6-day race in Colac, Australia. The first women's 6-day race took place in 1876 and was won by May Marshall with .

Sandra Barwick Sandra May Barwick (born 1949) is a New Zealand ultramarathon runner who set a new six-day track world record in Campbelltown, Australia, 18–24 November 1990. Covering 549 miles 110 yards in six days, Barwick set a record that still stan ...

set the current women's World Best of in November 1990 at the Campbelltown Australian 6 Day Race.

Current 6-Day Races

6 Days in The Dome
*

6 Jours de France 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

Across the Years Across The Years is a series of timed multi-day ultra-marathons held from December 28 to January 1 each year outside Phoenix, Arizona. It consists of a 24-hour race, a 48-hour race, a 72-hour race and a 6-day race. The 6-day race was reintroduced ...

Australian 6 Day Race
*

Antibes 6 Day Race The Antibes 6 day race (6 Jours d'Antibes) was a multiday race that is now called the 6 Jours de France which took place in Antibes starting in 2009 in Juan-les-Pins in the South of France. Consisting of 24h (not done in 2011), 48h and 72h ultra ...

(Now known as 6 Jours de France) *

Arizona 6 Day Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Four C ...

Athens 6 Day Race The Athens International Ultramarathon Festival is a Multiday race which takes place at the former Ellinikon International Airport in Greece. Events The first Athens International Ultramarathon Festival (UF) was organized by Dr Costas Baxevanis in ...

British Ultra Fest British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

No Finish Line 6 Day No (and variant writings) may refer to one of these articles: English language * ''Yes'' and ''no'' (responses) * A determiner in noun phrases Alphanumeric symbols * No (kana), a letter/syllable in Japanese script * No symbol, displayed � ...

6 DAYS UMF Italian UltraMarathon Festival 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

* Self-Transcendence 6 day * South Africa 6 Day Circuit * Three Days At The Fair (2017 * Unixsport 6 Day International Ultramarathon Challenge *Hallsberg 6 Day (Sweden) * Viadal Ultra Six Days (Sweden)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Davy Crockett
The Six-Day Race
Andy Milroy
Yiannis Kouros – The Making of a Legend
Andy Milroy
The events and performances that have shaped ultrarunning

– The History of Multiday Running
6 Jours D'Antibes.comSelf-TranscendenceMultiday racesULTRAmarathonRunning.com
Global Ultramarathon Races & Events Calendar
King of the Peds

Literature

*Ultramarathoning: The Next Challenge, by Tom Osler and Ed Dodd *Ultrarunning magazine *Multiday Running Magazine *King of the Peds, by P.S. Marshall Multiday races Racewalking