Unfortunately, not much is known about any ultra marathon races being conducted in Australia prior to 1860.  Australia was still rather much in its infancy during the early 1800’s.  It was an infancy that quickly developed when the Gold Rush occurred in the 1850’s with thousands of people arriving on our shores seeking fame and fortune.

Historians have found the names of three people who recorded some excellent solo ultramarathon performances from this era.  They are William King (The Flying Pieman), Allen Mc Kean and Beverly Howard. 

William King or “The Flying Pieman” is perhaps the best known Ultra performer from the pre 1860’s period. His name has been immortilised in several history books about Sydney and the surrounding areas. King was born in London in 1807 and emigrated to Australia in 1829.   He held several jobs until he started selling pies near the Sydney Pier.  He became known as the “Flying Pieman” because of his habit of selling pies to passengers boarding the Parramatta Steamer, then running the eighteen miles and selling the same passengers the remaining pies as they disembarked at the other end!

King soon became know for many other feats of pedestrianism. These included:

• Walking 1,634 miles in six weeks
• Walking 62.5 miles in 12.5 hours
• Walking 216 miles in six days.
• Walking 360 miles in 72 hours
• Twice beating the Sydney to Windosor Mail coach ( 32.4 miles).

He was to soon spread his wings and left Sydney in 1846 for a number of years. He traveled to the Hunter Valley and then up to Brisbane for a several years. He repeated his feats in many of the towns along the way. There was always a wager involved to which King was usually the winner.  King was to return to Sydney by 1855. He was still looking for wagers so that he could achieve even more accomplishments, but by then his extraordinary running ability and his wily gaming challenges were well known and no one would take him up on his wagers!

King was to die homeless and destitute in Sydney in 1873 which was a rather sad ending for this colorful personality.  William King was inducted as a member of the AURA Hall of Fame in 2005. You can read more information about him here.

Allen McKean is the second person from the pre 1860’s era to be recorded in history as having achieved some great feats of ultra pedestrianism. Not as much is known about McKean as what is known and written about King. We only know of two achievements by McKean and these were performed in 1858/1859.  He was to walk 1000 miles in 1000 hours. These were achieved at Ballarat and Melbourne and there wasn’t much break in between finishing the one race and starting the second race.  I should imagine that there would have been a lot of miners watching McKean’s achievement in Ballarat and there is no doubt that much money was to change hands during the course of the event.  The Mudgee Newspaper in 1858 and 1859 were to report on his great  achievements:

The Mudgee Newspaper, December 7, 1858
PEDESTRIANISM. – The astonishing feat of walking 1000 miles in 1000 consecutive hours, is now being performed at the Olympic Theatre, Melbourne, by Allan McKean. He commenced on Tuesday, and at midnight, yesterday, completed his 42nd mile. He walks at a quarter before every hour and a quarter after. The shortest time occupied by him in walking a mile was at ten o’clock on Tuesday night, when he accomplished the distance in eight minutes and forty seconds. – M. Herald.

The Mudgee Newspaper, January 18, 1859
THE GREAT WALKING MATCH AGAINST TIME. – On Monday night the 3rd inst., at 20 minutes past 10 the pedestrian, Allan McKean, accomplished his herculean task of walking 1000 miles in 1000 hours. For the last few days this event has caused great excitement in the sporting world, although there appeared to be only one opinion, namely, that McKean was possessed of sufficient powers of endurance to complete his task. The Olympic Theatre, which has been the arena on which this match was performed, was last evening crammed to excess, there being, as near as it is possible to form an opinion, between 500 and 600 persons present, every available corner being taken possession of. Allan McKean, it will be remembered, accomplished the feat of walking 1000 miles in 1000 hours at Ballarat a few weeks only before he commenced his second attempt in Melbourne, on Tuesday, November 23, at a quarter to 8 o’clock a.m., and it was generally thought that he had not allowed himself sufficient rest, but the event has proved that he did not overrate his capabilities. The shortest time in which he has walked a mile has been 8 min. 40 secs., and the longest time 26 mins. and 44 secs., that being during the period at which he was suffering a very severe sore on the sole of the foot. He completed his thousandth mile in fifteen minutes thirty-nine seconds, and appeared to be as little fatigued as when he had accomplished one-half of his allotted distance. Upon the completion of the 27th round, he was most loudly cheered, and it was some time before sufficient silence could be obtained for the result to be made known. – Argus of Tuesday.

Last, but not least, in our list of Australian Ultra pedestrians from the Pre 1860’s is  Miss Beverly Howard.   She was to walk 1250 miles in 1000 hours at Ballarat in 1859 and according to newspaper reporting she was to do it in style and did not suffer (compared to the agony that McKean went through when he walked 1000 miles in 1000 hours.  Her effort was recorded in the Mudgee Newspaper with this report:

The Mudgee Newspaper, November 8, 1859
PEDESTRIANISM. – A Miss Beverly Howard has accomplished the feat of walking 1250 miles in 1000 consecutive hours. The Ballarat Times says: - “Those who had seen the almost utterly helpless state to which the task of walking one thousand miles in (one) thousand hours rendered Allan McKean here, on Ballarat, expected to see Miss Beverly Howard creep or crawl rather than walk her last rounds; but it was not so: she was neither lame, nor halt, nor slow, but walked her last one and a quarter mile in 21 minutes and 45 seconds, or at almost a regular pace, with her body suitably thrown forward, but not bent, with a free motion of both hands and feet, and with no perceptible heaviness of step.”

Apart from the various scattered references to William King in several Sydney history books there is nothing known at this time about Allen McKean and Miss Beverly Howard, apart from the newspaper articles that are referenced above. 

If any other information comes to light about the ultra pioneers in our country, I will add them to this article for all to share and enjoy.

Phil Essam
Australian Ultra Historian
April 2007.