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Story: Athletics

Champion pedestrian Joe Scott

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Champion pedestrian Joe Scott

Pedestrianism was the name given to professional running and walking in the 19th century. Endurance walking, in which competitors walked around indoor circuits over very long distances, was one of the more popular pedestrian events. New Zealander Joe Scott was a champion endurance walker. Here, he is wearing the world championship belt he won in London in 1888, alongside trophies he won for other events.

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Toitū Otago Settlers Museum

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How to cite this page

David Colquhoun, Athletics – Beginnings, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/39922/champion-pedestrian-joe-scott (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by David Colquhoun, published 30 November 2012, updated 20 September 2016.