Halstead was born in Radcliffe, Lancashire and died in Bury. She was a member of Bury Athletic Club and Radcliffe Athletic Club.
Halstead became national 220 yards champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1930 WAAA Championships in a world record time of 25.2 sec.[3] The following year, Halstead won three WAAA titles, retaining her 220 yards crown and also becoming national 100 yards champion and national 440 yards champion at the 1931 WAAA Championships.[4]
She won gold medals in the 60 metres and 200 metres at the Olympics of Grace in 1931.[5] Halstead continued her success by retaining her 200 and 440 yards titles at the 1932 WAAA Championships and winning the 400 metres title at the 1933 WAAA Championships.[6]
She competed for Great Britain as one of Britain's first women track Olympians in the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, where in the 4×100 metres she won the bronze medal with her team mates Eileen Hiscock, Gwendoline Porter and Violet Webb (replacing the injured Ethel Johnson).
At the 1934 Empire Games she was a member of the England relay team which won the gold medal in the 110-220-110 yards relay event and the silver medal in the 220-110-220-110 yards relay competition (with Eileen Hiscock, Halstead, Ethel Johnson and Ivy Walker).[7] In the 220 yards she won the bronze medal.[8]
Halstead won further WAAA titles in the 800 metres at the 1935 WAAA Championships in a national record time of 2:15.6 and at the 1938 WAAA Championships[9] and a 400 metres title at the 1937 WAAA Championships.
According to historian Jean Williams, Halstead also played as a centre forward for the Dick, Kerr's Ladies football team.[2][10][11]
She also competed in the 1.9-mile women's race before the International Cross Country Championships, winning the title for England.[12]
