The 6-Day Race became a standard footrace distance in the 1870s and was a popular form of entertainment where up to 70,000 paying visitors, in 1877, came to watch the Pedestrians battle it out. However the widespread use of the bicycle from 1890 caused it to be replaced as spectator sport by cycle races of the same duration. It was in two forms: strict "heel-and-toe" racewalking, or "go-as-you-please" combination of walking, jogging, running.
History
in 1867 walked from Portland, Maine to Chicago, Illinois in 26 days, a distance of, earning him $10,000 and national fame. In 1874 Weston walked his first 6-day race and was challenged by Daniel O'Leary, who completed in 153 hours. The big battle took place in Chicago in November 1875 with O'Leary emerging victorious with and Weston finished with. in LondonIn a re-match 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 in his quest for three in a row. Weston won the fourth, setting a record of and Rowell won the final three multiday races to permanently keep the Astley Belt.
In 1880, Fred Hitchborn 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 world 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. It wasn't until Don Choi hosted a 6-day race in 1980 in 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 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 1879 and was won by Bertha Von Berg with. Sandra Barwick set the current women's World Best of in November 1990 at the Campbelltown Australian 6 Day Race.
