6 days of walking were briefly must-see entertainment

Nearly 142 years ago, 13 contestants replete with entourages and corporate sponsors gathered at Madison Square Garden to compete in pedestrianism, or a six-day endurance race of champagne-filled walking that vaguely resembles today’s racewalking. While the sport’s heyday was but a few years, these athletes became famous for their walking styles, sideshow antics and even accusations of performance-enhancing substances.