O’Leary and Edwards, Competitors in the Late six days’ Walking Contest in Sydney.

Rare engraving of an early walking race in Australia between W. Edwards who beat Daniel O’Leary in a six day match for £400 in Sydney. Week ending Mar 19 1883 Alfred Park, Sydney. In the 6 day walk W. Edwards 373.5 miles, Daniel O’Leary USA 350.5 miles.

Racewalking had developed as one of the original track and field events of the first meeting of the English Amateur Athletics Association in 1880. In Australia the first Athletics Congresses to adopt formal rules for the sport of walking.  A. O. Barrett  and R. H. Croll  submitted these propositions to the 1900 Australasian Convention of all the amateur associations in Auckland.

From the original edition of the Town and Country Journal.