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thumb|right|Foster Powell contemporary etching '''Foster Powell''' (1734&ndash;15 April 1793) was the first notable exponent of long-distance walking known as pedestrianism<ref name=Harper>Charles G. Harper (1922) ''The Great North Road: London to York 2nd edn'' Cecil Palmer, London</ref> and has been called "the first English athlete of whom we have any record".<ref name=Mee>Arthur Mee (1941) ''The King's England: Yorkshire West Riding'' (Hodder & Stoughton, London) pp190&ndash;1</ref> Powell started the focus on walking/running for six days and is considered the "Father of the Six-Day Race".<ref name=URH>[https://ultrarunninghistory.com/six-day-race-1/ ''The Six-Day Race – Part 1: The Birth (1773-1870)'']</ref>

==Life== Powell was baptized in Horsforth in 1734, and moved to London in 1762 where he worked as a lawyer's clerk.<ref name=Harper/><ref name=ODNB>Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed 3 July 2016</ref> In 1764 he began his pedestrian career by wagering that he could walk 50 miles in 7 hours, which he accomplished on the Bath Road.<ref name=DNB>[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Powell,_Foster_(DNB00) ''Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900''], Volume 46: Powell, Foster</ref> He became a national celebrity, but made very little money from walking, which he treated as a hobby, and died in relative poverty at the age of 59 on 15 April 1793.<ref name=Mee/><ref name=ODNB/> He was buried at St Faith's Church in St Paul's Cathedral Churchyard, after a walking funeral procession.<ref name=ODNB/><ref name=DNB/>

==Feats== Powell had experience walking long distances as early as circa 1771, when he walked about {{convert|400|miles}} from London to York and back to get a lease signed in less than six days.<ref name=p1>{{cite web |title=Last Saturday evening,... |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/jacksons-oxford-journal-last-saturday-e/192966708/ |work=Jackson's Oxford Journal |access-date=8 March 2026 |page=1 |date=11 Dec 1773}}</ref>

In 1773, Powell accepted a wager to walk the same route within six days again. He left Hicks Hall at 12:19 PM on 29 November 1773 and reached York at 2:30 AM on 31 November. He arrived back at Hicks Hall at 6:30 PM on 4 December 1773. On his return, about 3,000 people accompanied him from Highgate into London, and he won a bet of approximately £100 ({{Inflation|UK|100|1773|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).<ref name=p1 />

He committed to repeat the same feat thirteen years later in 1785.<ref>{{cite web |title=It is a fact, that Mr [Foster] Powell, the celebrated Pedestrian, has engaged for a considerable... |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-newcastle-weekly-courant-it-is-a-fac/192968484/ |work=The Newcastle Weekly Courant (Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England) |access-date=8 March 2026 |page=2 |date=2 Jul 1785}}</ref>

In 1788, Powell walked 100 miles in 21 hours 35 minutes. He also ran 2 miles in 10 minutes.<ref name="ODNB"/>

In November 1789, Powell attempted to run one mile in less than 5 minutes and 20 seconds for a £20 wager.<ref>{{cite web |title=Powell, the famous pedestrian, set out this day... |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bath-chronicle-powell-the-famous-pe/194078753/ |work=Bath Chronicle |access-date=24 March 2026 |page=3 |date=29 Oct 1789}}</ref>

In 1790 at over 55 years old, Powell walked 394 miles in 136 hours and 13 minutes, just one hour and 47 minutes under the time allotted to him to win a bet.<ref>{{cite web |title=PEDESTRIAN PERFORMANCE. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/leicester-journal-and-midland-counties/194083060/ |work=Leicester Journal, and Midland Counties General Advertiser |access-date=24 March 2026 |page=4 |date=27 Aug 1790}}</ref>

In September 1790, Powell was crowned at Astley's Amphitheatre to recognize his achievements. The crowning was done to resemble Roman victory celebrations.<ref>{{cite web |title=THEATRICAL CROWNING of Mr. POWELL, The celebrated PEDESTRIAN. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-public-advertiser-theatrical-crownin/194083404/ |work=Public Advertiser |access-date=24 March 2026 |page=1 |date=2 Sep 1790}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}} {{DNB poster|Powell, Foster|Foster Powell}} *[https://ultrarunninghistory.com/six-day-race-1/ The Six-Day Race – Part 1: The Birth (1773-1870)] *[http://www.geriwalton.com/index.php/2014/08/foster-powell-celebrated-pedestrian/ Foster Powell - The Celebrated Pedestrian]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Foster}} Category:1734 births Category:1793 deaths Category:People from Horsforth Category:Sportspeople from the City of Leeds Category:Walkers of the United Kingdom Category:British men race walkers Category:Athletes from Yorkshire Category:18th-century British sportspeople