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Try refreshing your browser. Reflections: Stratford s largest walkathon of 1971 Back to video Today, one associates the walkathon with charity fundraisers. When the term was first coined, it was anything but. The term “walkathon” evolved from the words “walk” and “marathon.” In the 1930s, walkathons were contests for cash. Couples competed and, whoever stayed on their feet the longest, won the prize. These events could take days, weeks and even months before a winner was proclaimed. They were held in halls, theatres, fairgrounds and tents, anywhere there was room enough for couples to keep walking in a circle. The were brutal affairs, often rigged with professional walkers, and organizers who made huge profits by selling tickets to the public who came to watch the suffering. This entertainment fell out of favour in the 1940s and could not be revived after the war.

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