116: Ultrarunning Stranger Things – Part 6: Fraud, Theft, and Nuisance

Ultrarunning History

By Davy Crockett You can read, listen, or watch By 1906, when the pedestrian era was over, most of the elite pedestrians turned to legitimate professions to support their families. Daniel O’Leary was traveling for a big publishing house. John “Lepper” Hughes was in the real estate business, Jimmy Albert was a Texas cattleman, Robert Vint was an oil agent in Russia. Samuel Day was a house painter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But many others had a darker side, driven by motivations of greed and were not necessarily the most outstanding citizens. It should not be too surprising that many were involved in wild free-spending lifestyles, scandals, illegal activities, and run-ins with the law. This episode will concentrate on the strange darker side of the sport during the late 1800s. Future episodes will focus on corruption during the races and some bizarre love triangles among the running community. Run Davy Crockett's Pony Express Trail 50 or 100-miler to be held on October 14-15, 2022, on the historic wild west Pony Express Trail in Utah. Run among the wild horses. Crew required. Your family and friends drive along with you. http://ponyexpress100.org/ Publicity Fraud and Redemption The year 1879 saw an explosion of people trying to enter the ultrarunning/pedestrian sport with at least 90 six-day races held worldwide with 900 starters. That year, Madame Waldron and Walter Moore tried their hands at going after the fame and fortune of pedestrianism. Their story is interesting because they both degraded into serious fraud but later, they turned around their lives serving the downtrodden in their community. Harriet “Hattie” L. (Waldron) Adams (1845-1911), of Brooklyn, New York (also known as Madame Waldron), became a female pedestrian in 1879. She married very young, in 1861, at the age of seventeen, to Henry Adams and they had a daughter, Emma. Henry likely died and in 1879, as the Pedestrian craze took hold in America, Hattie turned to the sport to start a new life and attempt to earn a fortune. Skating in the Brooklyn Rink In January 1879, Adams (Madame Waldron) walked 150 miles in 50 hours at the Adelphi Theatre in New York City. Next, on March 3, 1879, she competed in an “International Pedestrian and Billiard Tournament” that was held at the Brooklyn Roller Skating Rink, near Dr. Justin D. Fulton’s Temple. Pedestrians, male and female from nine countries attempted various walks for huge money on seven sawdust tracks, each 20 laps to a mile, set up in the building. It was an amazing spectacle. “Its entire appearance had been changed from a mammoth, bleak and dreary barn to a bright and cheery place of amusement. Between the tracks were placed rows of evergreens, shrubs and flowing plants which gave the floor much of the appearance of a garden. Three full-sized billiard tables were placed in a space in the center of the rink. From the roof were pendant hundreds of bright flags. At the rear of the hall was a large music gallery.” Adams/Madame Waldron and one of the most famous female pedestrians, May Marshall, attempted to walk 4,000 quarter miles in 4,000 quarter hours. Adams was said to be “of large statue but attractive,” 180 pounds, and claimed to be “the heavyweight champion of America.” She did not succeed in the very difficult 1,000-mile walk but had tasted the spotlight of fame and wanted more. A couple months later, Adams competed against Walter Moore (1854-1915), a novice walker and construction worker from Brooklyn, attempting 2,700 miles in 2,700 quarter hours in Brooklyn at Bennett’s Hotel on Atlantic Avenue. They did not make it, covered at least 111 miles, but they did evidently find love and got married. Walter Moore started going by the name of Charles Livingston and claimed that he successfully walked 4,000 quarter miles in 4,000 quarter hours, which was not true. Fasting for 42 Days After their short pedestrian careers were over,