Pedestriennes, America's Forgotten Superstars

For four weeks frenzied fans packed Brooklyn's Mozart Garden to watch, 'Madame' Ada Anderson battle fatigue, cold, hunger, and her most tenacious companion, loneliness. Failing would result in personal humiliation and set back women's athletics for decades. Success meant international fame and her taking home a fortune. In the late 19th century, Madame Anderson and a handful of other women dazzled America as professional women endurance walkers. Called pedestriennes, they engaged in walks that could last for weeks. Their tenacity and pluck made them wildly popular with both the public and media. However, a series of scandals soon turned their fans against them. Author Harry Hall traveled the country interviewing pedestrienne descendants and researching their stories buried in newspapers. The result is a revealing, insightful book that brings the reader into this little-known world, where athletic determination and desire for titles and money descended into deceit and corruption, which contributed to the sport's rapid demise. While mostly forgotten, pedestriennes left a lasting impression on America's landscape.