110: Six-day Race Part 16: Women’s International Six-Day (1879)

Ultrarunning History

By Davy Crockett You can read, listen, or watch Many women participated in six-day races during the 1800s. With the great publicity of the Astley Belt Six-Day races, and the popularity of the new go-as-you-please format inviting running, the six-day race exploded into a craze in America and Great Britain. Of the 850 total starters in 85 six-day races in 1879, more than 120 starters were women. The details of the 17 women’s races held that year were fascinating, full of surprising drama, and needs to be remembered in this history, especially given the strong discriminating feelings toward women athletics in that era and for the century that followed. Please help the ultrarunning history effort continue by signing up to contribute a little each month through Patreon. Signup and get a bonus episode about the first major six-day race held in California. Visit https://www.patreon.com/ultrarunninghistory Women’s International Six-Day Gilmore's Garden After the Third Astley Belt Race was concluded in New York City’s Gilmore’s Garden (Madison Square Garden) on March 15, 1879, (see episode 109), it was quickly announced that a “Grand Ladies’ International Six-Day Race” would also be held at Gilmore’s Garden in less than two weeks. It would be the first “go-as-you-please” (running-allowed) six-days race for women. Yes, women would start running to the shock of the Victorian Age public. Because of scheduling conflicts in the building, the race would need to span across a Sunday. At first, they were told they would be allowed to run on Sunday. However, the police chief later decided that they would have to take a 24-hour rest on Sunday during the race. For the first time, a women’s ultrarunning race would include spectacular prizes for the winner. The first-place prize would be $1,000 ($28,750 value today) in cash along with a belt similar to the Astley belt, called the “Walton Belt” made by Tiffany valued at $250. The manager of the race was Francis Theodore “Plunger” Walton (1837-1911), a racehorse man and manager of the St. James Hotel in New York City. A hefty entrant’s fee of $200 was required to ensure that only the most serious women pedestrians would participate. All women who reached 325 miles, would get their fee back. Many women athletes expressed interest, including a number of amateur pedestrians trying to break into the sport. The same track for the Third Astley Belt race would be used. Army tents were provided for each competitor and three medical attendants would take care of them during the race. The Start On the evening of March 27, 1879, as a promenade concert was being held, many women accompanied by friends. carried bundles, bedding, trunks, and other possessions to the row of white tents in Gilmore’s Garden. At 11 p.m., the eighteen women starters listened to race rules that included a new rule against dogging the runner’s heels ahead, a rule that wouldn’t be enforced very well. The ladies were arranged in four rows and started with the word “go,” accompanied by music from the band and the cheers of about 1,000 people. Exilda La Chapelle, of Canada, was the early favorite, but few bets were made. The news press was generally unfavorable about having women participating in such an event. They wrote, “The pitiful spectacle of 18 women starting on a six days’ walk for money prizes was witnessed by about 1,000 spectators.” New York City’s foremost pedestrian promoter, William B. Curtis, (1837-1900), founder of the New York Athletic Club, refused to have anything to do with the race other than collecting the money to guarantee the promised prize package of $1,750. It was reported, “As soon as the eighteen were well under way, the fun began. The crowd seemed to regard the affair much in the same farcical light as they would a burlesque entertainment at a theatre. They were a strange lot. Tall and short, heavy and slim, young and middle-aged,