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Champagne, cocaine and some very long walks: when pedestrianism ruled the sporting world

The Guardian UK Tuesday 03 November 2026, 09:30 UTC By Tom Dart 1 min read
Key Points

Crowds once flocked to see ambling athletes pull of amazing feats of stamina. Edward Payson Weston was chief among themMore than $1.4bn has been staked on prediction markets for this week’s US midterm elections, according to CNN.Though a lot of people are about to win – or lose – a lot of money, it’s hard to imagine any wagers as consequential as the election bet that birthed a sporting craze spearheaded by a chancer who walked and talked his way into becoming one of the greatest athletic...

Crowds once flocked to see ambling athletes pull of amazing feats of stamina. Edward Payson Weston was chief among them

More than $1.4bn has been staked on prediction markets for this week’s US midterm elections, according to CNN.

Though a lot of people are about to win – or lose – a lot of money, it’s hard to imagine any wagers as consequential as the election bet that birthed a sporting craze spearheaded by a chancer who walked and talked his way into becoming one of the greatest athletic stars of the 19th century.

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Edward Payson Weston (PERSON) US (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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