$500,000 Race Walking pay day in La Coruña

the knights who say knee wrote:

Anyone who has watched race walking will realize that its basically an activity that uses the ILLUSION that they are keeping in line with the rules. This is the laughable "sport" that somehow has slipped through the cracks to be termed as legitimate. It is a JUDGED event open to subjective opinion. Its not the person who can get from point A to point B the fastest while walking but rather the individual that can fool the judges into appearing to be "walking." There is no place for subjective opinion in Track and Field and there is no place for race walking. Yes there are rules in track and field but these rules govern the events, not DETERMINE THE OUTCOME. Are these guys fit? yes. Highly trained? yes. However, $500,000.00 in prize money? Really? This is an embarrassment and completely outrageous.

Agree totally. I used to take race "walking" seriously until I attended the '88 OT and watched the 20k walk very closely. I would estimate that at least 80% of the "walkers" were cheating consistently once they were out of the direct line of sight of the judges. They even had a clever strategy of moving in a scrum of sorts, and taking turns being on the outside (visible to the judges) versus on the inside (essentially invisible to judges) so that they'd all get an equal chance to jog.

I'm not going to say that all race "walkers" are skilled cheaters, but most of them are. The point is not "walking" but simply giving the illusion of "walking" and not getting caught.

It's a total farce and not worth defending on any level. If some athletes want to spend there time doing this particular activity, I have no particular problem with it--but none of us should feel compelled to take it at all seriously.

I'm on my third glass of wine, I'm sure I'm readin' this wrong due to the alcohol. It's GOTTA be the booze.

Completely agree. Was working at the World Junior Champs in Chile in 2000. The last 100m of the walk there were 4 athletes locked together. With 50m to go, one started running. Then two others did also. And I don't mean "slightly lifting", I mean flat out running. The guy who "ran" the least, ie, tried to continue to walk, was 4th. Utter joke. And yes, that was the IAAF World Junior Champs, with several thousand witnesses in the stands.

Once again, any sport you can do while holding or drinking a beer is not a sport.

interesting point wrote:

mjr wrote:

People only act like this when they are trying to compensate for poor self confidence caused by (1) a lack of intellect, and/or (2) a lack of genitalia size.

You make the call...

Wejo went to Yale.

So did George W. Bush.

There is no place for subjective opinion in Track and Field

Its not subjective if you know anything about judging the event. It looks like EVERYONE is "cheating" if you don't understand what to look for. You might as well get rid of triple jump or anything else that requires you make calls on things that aren't neccesarily clear from a layman's perspective if you have that attitude.

So did George Bush. Your point?

interesting point wrote:

mjr wrote:

People only act like this when they are trying to compensate for poor self confidence caused by (1) a lack of intellect, and/or (2) a lack of genitalia size.

You make the call...

Wejo went to Yale.

Completely agree. Was working at the World Junior Champs in Chile in 2000. The last 100m of the walk there were 4 athletes locked together. With 50m to go, one started running. Then two others did also. And I don't mean "slightly lifting", I mean flat out running. The guy who "ran" the least, ie, tried to continue to walk, was 4th. Utter joke. And yes, that was the IAAF World Junior Champs, with several thousand witnesses in the stands.

You're FULL OF IT.

There are judges staged in the last 50 meters to make sure this doesnt' happen. If you knew a damn thing about how the event was judged you'd know that you can be thrown out in the last stretch for doing just this - the head official is put there and has the right to do that even if you were clean the entire race. (which sucks for legit walkers who kick a little too hard, but that is neither here nor there...)

I respect race walkers.why should they not get good pay day.they train as hard as any other sport.get rid of curling or get rid of some other silly sports.race walking here to stay.Snooker players get more and golfers,they dont push themselves as physicaly as walkers.

hahahaha

funniest thing i've heard all day...

"legit walkers with a kick"

irishkid wrote:

I respect race walkers.why should they not get good pay day.they train as hard as any other sport.get rid of curling or get rid of some other silly sports.race walking here to stay.Snooker players get more and golfers,they dont push themselves as physicaly as walkers.

OK, a few questions:

1. Do you follow race walking? Can you name 3 top competitors? Can you name the last 3 Olympic winners in the 50k walk? If your answers are "no," then why in the world should any of us know or care about such things?

2. What does training hard have to do with anything at all? Someone can train hard to be a good unicycle rider. That may be impressive, but does the world then owe every middling unicycle rider a living?

3. Why compare golfers with walkers? No one debating the fact that walkers are more "fit," but again so what? Golfers are paid because there is a huge TV audience for the sport, and sponsors are willing to underwrite it. Walking has none of this.

So, yes, "walking" is a sport--simply because it isn't a painting, poem, animal, vegetable, or mineral--but it's a stupid sport, essentially fraudulent, that no one in the real world gives a hoot about.

check out this picture

Yeah, here's the pic.

http://www2.iaaf.org/wjc00/Multimedia/index.asp

No doubt that both feet are off the ground.

This sport is a joke!!!

These World Cup racewalkers are among the finest and fittest athletes on earth and deserve a lot more than the $500,000 purse they're racing for...They are incredible competitors and the truest of sportsmen, something I do not think I can say about some of the critics showing their (a) lack of intelligence and (b) lack of respect for someone else's competitive specialty...Fortunately, the international sport of athletics embraces all events and racewalking is one of the most global events practiced in the whole sphere of our sport...Too many self-absorbed distance runners (who obviously comprise the bulk of the Let's Run clientele) consider themselves the sole kings of the track and field universe, when they're just ordinary citizens in it like all the rest of us..

Robert Korzeniowski can walk a marathon in 3:05. What's your PR, pal?

You want to talk about judgment calls in track and field? How about the wrong man winning the Olympic decathlon when his discus foul was overruled? How about the call on hurdlers for intentionally knocking them down? Or intermediate hurdlers on the trail leg call? Hey, how about the longest long jump in history,

a 30-footer, that was never recognized because a judge called a foul even with no mark in the plasticine? How about the FloJo 100 being ruled windless?

Or Bob Beamon's 8.90 LJ with its arguable maximum legal wind reading of 2.00??? How about all those pace-setting scenarios in WR runs? How about women marathoners getting male escorts??? Or the flat javelin call. Or all the false start craziness?? Or lane violations? (Ask Maria Mutola) Or relay zone calls?? Bottom line: Get off it. Love and respect your local racewalker. He's/she's a wonderful athlete.

Mr. Denman: I know you have a good deal invested in the walks. However,you are not making a coherent argument FOR them by citing examples of blatant stupidity, cheating, and incompetence in other t&f events. One could interpret you as saying that the walks are great BECAUSE they raise blatant stupidity, cheating, and incompetence to their highest level.

You weren't there though were you? And what do you know about the quality of the officials at that meet? They RAN. I saw it. 4 other guys I was working with saw it. And no-one was DQed. Don't comment on something you didn't see and have no knowledge about. And sure, I know the rules, that's why I was working there an at the Grand Prix Final the week before that year.

dealer wrote:

quit being a dork. racewalking is one of the most ridiculous activities ever invented in the history of gay and lesbian culture. I don't care if someone wants to pay them or it's in the olympics--nothing will ever make that "sport" respectable.

Only in your idiot opinion that no-one really gives a f*** aboust anyway. What makes you the expert on any sport. Nothing does because you know nothing. Who's cares what Amercians think about walking. They're nothing in this sport and make no impact world wide,on what is a European dominated sport, much like the lack of impact their distance runners have made for years, so their opinions don't matter a toss on this subject. So go on and fart hot air all you like.

Funny that you runners (apologies to those that aren't nasty) should be so mean. Must be the insecurity you feel with your "sport." To the non-running world, running isn't a sport. You go around in a circle, get tired, and end up in the same place. ( I believe that’s credited to Seinfeld)

Clearly those posting have too much energy and time on their hands. Perhaps they need a new hobby, let me suggest trying race walking. It burns more calories per mile, works a greater range of muscles and requires a discipline that most runners lack.

In case someone can't tell, I am clearly targeting those idiots that have to rip on others to feel good about themselves. I really have no problem with runners, just arrogant ones.

i find it amazing that a bunch of old men...and recreational "runners" are going to sit at there computers and bash racewalking. Maybe if you weere not on lets run.com fantasysing about what it must feel to be a real athlete and compete on a national team, you might make something of your recreational running careers. What I see as a waste of money is the money that they give you " recreational runners" at road races. Its like saying " lets reward this man, who isnt nearly elite or fastest in the world/ country and give them money. THAT IS A WASTE! So before you bash a sport like racewalking, and elite athletes, you might want to think first about your insignificant role you play in the world of track and field.