Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-03-08
PEDESTRIAN
RSEVEN7Y
JOHN CALLAHAN HAS WESTON
pIsTANcED
PLANS EXHIBITION AT cHUTEs
PARK
One of His Feats Is Walking Seven
Hundred and Forty Miles in
Nine and one.Half
Days Time

John Callahan, almost 20 years of
age, one OF the veterans of the Civil
War and at present vender of the APP
peal TO Reason and Common Sense,
published by the Socialist party. claims
to be as great pedestrian as Weston.
Callahan is going to Pasadena in
about months time to begin training.
And in about two months he will give
an exhibition of rapid heel and toe
walking at Chutes park, despite his 6S
years.
II began walking in 1873 and kept 1t
up for seven years." said Mr.. Callahan
yesterday when asked about his walk
ing record Then dropped 1t.
1T was in the sos that 1 met Weston
at Union hall, San Francisco. 1t was a
six-day race, and since he had such
good record already he gave me forty
mile handicap. But he gave me too
much leeway and 1 beat him-much to
the surprise of the big crowd.
Il would like to go around the coun-
try again, walking five-mile races and
working my way east to Washington
and other cities which / have never
seen. / would like to meet Weston in
a race again, too.
He Has Great Records
"In my seven years as pedestrian
/ defeated thirty-one men, and one
time up north l walked before an aud
fence of $4,000 people at the San Fran
cisco pavilion.
II have had some close, exciting con-
tests, too. l remember the time i de-
feated Hartman with his great six
day record of 600 miles. 1 defeated him
in a three-day contest Sacramento"
One of the most striking races in
which Callahan ever engaged was
where he walked five miles against five
men; they doing the distance in relay
race fashion, one man to each mile.
But he beat them to it, his endurance
and wind being phenomenal.
Harder than that, he sayss, was the
race he had twenty miles against three
men. each of whom walked about six
miles against him. But again his en-
durance was superior to theirs and he
won out.
However. to the casual reader, it
would seem that his greatest achieve
ment was when he walked five miles
10 another mans running seven miles,
and defeated the latter doing his five
on the walk in shorter time than the
other man did his seven miles running.
Steve Meeny of the San Francisco
Olympic club was one of the hardest
propositions he ran up against. But
Callahan defeated him in the last
twenty feet of a five-mile walk.
Wins Out at the Finish
That contest was practically shoulder
to shoulder all the way up to the point
that Callahan's contestant simply gave
out entirely, falling sick on the track.
when the older man spurted ahead,
across the tape.
north there" said Callahan, but they
could not win against men. Amy
Howard and Madame LeChappelle were
among the best of them"
One of the biggest records of Gala
han is bis walking 740 miles in nine
and one-half days, which he accom-
plished at San Francisco June 20, 1880
He is the longest stopper in the world,
with q stride of forty-eight inches, and
the most rapid heel and toe walker in
the United States.
There is no race as exciting as when
two men are walking against each
other" said Mr.. Callahan enthusiasts
tically yesterday. at surpasses bicycle
racing or foot running entirely.
But as / wrote one time for the
papers. fair heel and toe walking is the
most difficult thing to train oneself to
do, especially in the excitement of a
race, where referee does not always
look carefully at the men to see If they
are running instead Of walking.
Kept MuIdoon Running
"One time when / was walking
against young man from New York,
Holmes it was, Muldoon, who was
refereeing the race, had to run to keep
W. with us walking You see, in walk
ing in a race you do not bend the knee,
but simply swing the entire leg from
the hips"
One of Callahan's records was to
walk mile in Z minutes, with an
average stride of forty-eight inches, in
British Columbia in 1888.
Many of the newspaper notices of his
work ON the walking track Mr.. Gala
han has kept in valuable scrapbook, |
which he uses to refresh his mind on
records of the past. This is full If
interesting data on this most wonder
full walker of the American continent.
Should Mr.. Callahan go east and
meet Weston the event would be
watched with the greatest interest by
hia California friends.