Champagne, cocaine and some very long walks: when pedestrianism ruled the sporting world

Crowds once flocked to see ambling athletes pull off amazing feats of stamina. Edward Payson Weston was chief among themMore than $1.4bn has been staked on prediction markets for this weeks US midterm elections, according to CNN.Though a lot of people are about to win - or lose - a lot of money, its hard to imagine any wagers as consequential as the election bet that birthed a sporting craze spearheaded by a chancer who walked and talked his way into becoming one of the greatest athletic stars o...