6 Day Race

History

In 1773, Foster Powell, of England, started the focus on walking/running for six days when he walked from London to York and back, 400 mi, 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 of circus fame, in his New York City Hippodrome on March 1, 1875, between Edward Payson Weston and "Professor" John R. Judd. Weston won with 431 mi to Judd's 222 mi. The second race was held November 15, 1875, between Weston and Daniel O'Leary in Chicago, Illinois, with O'Leary emerging victorious with 503 mi and Weston finished with 451 mi. On March 6, 1876, the first six-day race was held in England, inside the Royal Agricultural Hall, in Islington, London, won by Weston with 450 mi. His nearest competitor, W. Newman finished with 190 mi. The first six-day race between women was held in 1876, in Chicago Illinois, between Bertha Von Hillern and Mary Marshall. Marshal won with 233.9 mi to 231.5 mi.

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 565 mi earning $17,000, 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 twice ran over 1022 km setting a new world record that would stand until 2005 when he broke his own record again with 1036 km at the Cliff Young Australian 6-day race in Colac, Australia. This record would stand until 2024 when :nl:Matthieu Bonne ran 1,046km in Hungary. In 2025, this record was surpassed by Iván Zaborski, who ran 1,047.5 km in France.

The first women's 6-day race took place in 1876 and was won by May Marshall with 233 mi. Camille Herron set the current women's World Best of 901.763 km in March 2024 at Further.

Current 6-Day Races

• 6 Days in The Dome
• 6 DAYS UMF Italian UltraMarathon Festival
• 6 Jours de France
• Across the Years
• Antibes 6 Day Race (Now known as 6 Jours de France)
• Arizona 6 Day
• Athens 6 Day Race
• Australian 6 Day Race
• British Ultra Fest
• EMU 6 Day Race World Trophy (Hungary)
• Hallsberg 6 Day (Sweden)
• No Finish Line 6 Day
• Self-Transcendence 6 day
• South Africa 6 Day Circuit
• Three Days At The Fair (2017
• Viadal Ultra Six Days (Sweden)
• The Old Six Day

References

Literature

• The Six-Day Race, Part One: When Ultrarunners Were Called Pedestrians (1875-1879), by Davy Crockett
• Ultramarathoning: The Next Challenge, by Tom Osler and Ed Dodd
• Ultrarunning magazine
• Multiday Running Magazine
• King of the Peds, by P.S. Marshall

References

1. Noakes, T. D., (2006) ''Basic Research in Cardiology'' '''101''' 408–417 The limits of endurance exercise
2. "Six-Day Race – Part 1: The Birth (1773-1870)".
3. "First Six-Day Race (1875)".
4. "Weston vs. O’Leary (1875)".
5. "Weston Invades England (1876)".
6. "Six Day Race Part 8: First Women’s Race (1876)".
7. "Soldier Barnes – Six-day Race Relic (1846-1916)".
8. "Don Choi – 2021 Hall of Fame Member".
9. "Camille Herron runs 560 miles to set new women's 6-day world record".
10. "Across the Years shared Aravaipa... – Across the Years".
11. "Race Web Site".
12. "Viadal Ultra Six Days".
13. "The Old Six Day".