Pedestrianism - When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport (Broché)

Strance as it sounds, during the 1870s and 1880s, America's most popular spectator sport wasn't baseball, boxing, or horse racing—it was competitive walking. Inside sold-out arenas, competitors walked around dirt tracks almost nonstop for six straight days (never on Sunday), risking their health and sanity to see who could walk the farthest. These walking matches were as talked about as the weather, the details reported from coast to coast.
This long-forgotten sport, known as pedestrianism, spawned America's first celebrity athletes and opened doors for immigrants, African Americans, and women. The top pedestrians earned a fortune in prize money and endorsement deals. But along with the excitement came the inevitable scandals, charges of doping — coca leaves ! — and insider gambling. Pedestrianism : When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport chronicles competitive walking's peculiar appeal and popularity, its rapid demise, and its enduring influence, and reveals how pedestrianism marked the beginning of modern spectator sports in the United States.