Edward Weston the Pedestrian

On a bet Edward Weston left Boston to walk to Lincoln’s inauguration in 1861.

Edward Weston started out as a copyboy for a newspaper. When he gained a small bit of fame for chasing a box of hothouse flowers for the editor, he decided to make walking a career. He started with a bet that if Lincoln won the election he would walk to the Inauguration from Boston in ten days. He had the goal of arriving in time to hear Lincoln take the oath.

While Weston did complete the walk in ten days, he arrived too late to see the oath. Impressed by this feat, Weston met Lincoln who offered to pay for a train ticket. Weston refused. He wanted to walk back to show he could do it in the time limit he had set for himself.

At this point, he became Weston the Pedestrian and went on to break many walking records. Weston stuck to his goals and if he lost once, he trained until he could win. Sadly at the age of 88, a taxi struck him, putting him in a wheelchair until he died at the age of 90.