What do runners have against racewalk?

While you are probably a troll, I will bite.

The answer is quite simple:

Every event in track is measured by a tape measure or a stop watch.........except the racewalk.

As a meet director, I have to bring in 4 fricken officials just for one damn race. The fact that it is inconvenient to host will be its downfall.

What next?...Ribbon Dancing?

To me, it seems like an odd event. I think of it as:

"Go as fast as you can from point A to point B, but you have to have at least one foot on the ground at all times."

It reminds me of the three-legged race or standing long jump.

as a running store employee i fit race walkers for "race walking shoes" its a very select category of shoes mainly a shoe with a low heel, light and a bit of stability. something like a lighweight trainer or a racer with stability. Basically the race walkers are very picky and it makes it difficult to do my job. They all end up getting their race walking shoes one way or another but the shoes often look horrible on their feet, they pronate in them excessivly because the shoes they want dont have near enough stability. So thats my reason for not liking race walkers.

why walk when you could run? its as simple as that.

because it's the most absurdly ridiculous effing thing i've ever seen.

bob costas, while still an incredible douchebag, summed it up perfectly: it's like having a contest to see who can whisper the loudest.

racewalking needs to disappear from the face of the planet.

I am a very considerate and tolerant guy, a really princely and patient human being, and unlike most people here, I think untalented people with limited athletic goals who want to exercise and be in races are just fine. All that having been said, I have zero respect for racewalking. None. It's almost impossible to properly officiate, and the winner is often just the person who gets "caught" the least. I came from an area of the country where one of the "deans" of racewalking lived. One day I watched him competing and said "hey, that guy is just running awkwardly." The folks around me said "ssh, he gets upset if you say that." Gee, we wouldn't want to get him upset.

how about backwards running? at least they get to run. and it would be funny because people would run into each other and then have to run the curves backwards. Or think of this, people on the waterfall, running backwards, passing in lane two on the curves, people trip and fall, people fall over backwards. now that is a real sport. oh, maybe we could make it legal to hit your opponents.

...i think i'm on to something...

I think racewalking should be replaced with racecrabwalking.

sjc wrote:

why walk when you could run? its as simple as that.

Oddly enough, racewalking was actually invented as an alternative to racerolling.

Worlds first racewalker: The Hamburglar

I'll bet you a hundred bucks, that except for yourself, none of the posters know a thing, especially the pain, that goes into racewalking. I have been a runner all of my life and am still extant to some extent; but, 100,000 kilometers have eliminated my cartiledge and my career as a serious competitor as well. So, once upon a time, not long ago, I found a hidden track, well populated with nice ladies walking, and tried racewalking a few miles. You, as a serious 60 mile a week runner, try tomorrow to walk a mile under 9 minutes. You will not do it. After a couple months of doing this a few times a week and I am a little under nine minutes and thinking breaking 7. Once a runner in a small town in a place something like North Dakota, I was the one in town getting out there and pounding the pavement. Fortunately, I was good and ugly and nobody dared diss me; eventually another person began; and then the word jogging was introduced to the english language and couch potatoes became anathema. Now as a race walker, the only people that crap on the sport, which is quite a popular pastime world wide, and in fact, in all of history ..... are runners; well, I think they are runner wannabees; because true runners have a certain tolerance and respect for all people regardless of their gate, pace or choices; even lawn bowlers. I'll bet you another hundred bucks that not one "real runner" will rip shit or care to disrespect, whoever

decides to get out there and pound the pavement or ware

shoes that look like they came of the fleet feet of some circus clown.

Just because something is difficult doesn't make it worthwhile.

I'm sure that there is discipline and hard training that goes along with racewalking. I just find it totally uncompelling and hideous to look at. Like many others, it doesn't make any more sense to me than a three legged race or skipping. It's really jarring and odd angles. It's ugly the way knees lock out and feet roll in. On the other hand, running is almost always beautiful and fluid, at least at the world class level.

Sorry to the racewalkers, but I wouldn't care if racewalking disappeared.

Try paragraphs, you idiot. Also, you ruined your cartilage, not "cartiledge".

Finally, it's "wear shoes", not "ware shoes". To put your mind-numbing stupidity in context, wear is a word most people have down by the age of 6 or 7.

Yeah, knocking your head against the wall is tough after awhile, too. Doesn't make it admirable.

It's threads like this that keep me coming back to this site.

Personally, I'm cool with it. I have a couple friends who racewalk and I'm as glad to see them succeed in their sport as I am when my running friends succeed in theirs.

You'll never get 100% agreement when it comes to sports. Look at what happens when someone posts about triathletes (and you'll see anti-triathlete threads not only on running but also swimming and cycling forums).

Myself, I'm not that keen on watching, let's say, weight lifting, but I won't say no one should pursue it as a sport or it shouldn't be taken seriously. Just not something I'd get into watching.

In swimming, there's competition in different types of strokes, so I don't see why, in track and field, there shouldn't be competition in walking as well as running.

I actually tried a racewalk event... and it offers its own kind of challenge: resisting the temptation to run while walking as fast as possible--and working different muscles. I wasn't converted to racewalking, but I was glad to have the chance to try it--and if my running injuries catch up too much, it's good to have a back-up plan.

Running has its share of detractors too -- naturally they're wrong ;) -- but I guess those rivalries will persist no matter. Let them talk... while you racewalk. (Pardon the rhyme... or not.)

Just because racewalking isn't popular or respected in the USA doesn't mean that things aren't different in other places. Back in the fall, I found myself browsing through a CoolRunning Australia site, and there was a discussion about Nathan Deakes, the Aussie who won the 50K racewalk at the Osaka WC.

This is not a site of racewalk nuts, it's not even a site of hardcore runners. But it was nice to see a thread of about 12-15 messages on it where people talked about racewalking as they talked about any sport, without any snide remarks or questioning anyone's intentions.

Suppose we'll ever be that mature in the USA?

I don't think anyone that has ever tried it thinks it is easy. It is very hard, BUT that does not mean it belongs in track & field. It is the only event that is "judged." It is way too subjective to ever be a success.

AND, the fact that I have to bring in 4 officials for that one event is the number 1 reason I will never include it in my meets. No other events is participated by so few and requires so many.

The event is real and has a place--just not in track & field.

...and for the record, we have a racewalk at a training camp at peace gardens. they run one with the competitions every year. more often than not, the winner of the 1500m race walk is around 7:30. sure, it is hard, but it's judged.... and gay