Foot Races.

Foot racing is among the oldest of human sports. It requires no equipment or paved track. All European, African, and Native American nations undoubtedly pitted the speed of one person against another. In England there were also women's races, which were more like sack races than actual feats of speed. In the colonies racing was popular throughout the period of 1600 to 1754. On muster days militiamen in the Chesapeake often engaged in races and wrestling. Gov. Francis Nicholson celebrated St. George's Day in New York by sponsoring prizes for various sports, including foot racing. William Byrd II mentions several impromptu foot races in his diary, although he himself did not run. Perhaps in his midthirties he felt himself too old, or he might have viewed it beneath his station to engage in such an activity.

Boxing.

Pugilism was a popular sport in...