this is what I got against racewalking

okay really? any idiot can tell from the context of the sentence that by saying "how fast you can go" meant how fast you can physically move your body from point A to point B. im sorry, but youre retarded by not realizing this. how fast you can go (in the context) is completely different than "how fast you can walk."

you're a racewalker aren't you? so why don't you run? please explain...

Look what someone wrote on this thread, second post down. I thought this was hilarious.

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2383671

CedarvilleStrider wrote:

Hey Disconcerted,

You know what is really disconcerting? That there are so many runners who are not smart enough to further their Olympic Dreams by trying to race walk. Instead they fight for scraps with African runners who go around and pick up all the chump change prize money at local road races.

At least there are some smart runners, like the All American 5,000m runner from Rio Grande University (Matt Boyles) who further his Olympic Dream by picking up $13,000 in prize money during the month of February by finishing second in the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 50k Race Walk. Then followed that up by winning the USATF Indoor Nationals in the 5,000m walk.

So don't like the walk - hell I don't care. But there are some smart runners out there who know that the walk is simply a technique event that every one should try.

yeah, ok, you know what? that is one of the most retarded arguments i've ever heard. runners who decide to racewalk instead of continuing running can have their medals in a meaningless event, if they are too pussy to step up to real competition. there is a reason the africans don't racewalk. want me to spell it out for you? because no one gives a flying f*** about racewalking.

Did you get lapped by a racewalker? Maybe the woman herself?

I think it goes to show that racewalking is a fallback position. People that can't be good/great in running do racewalking. It's running's version of softball.

I feel the same way about ultras for the most part. I think there are some genuinely talented ultra runners, but it seems like there's a lot of people who just increase the distance until the herd thins out and they're finally "good."

I read this thread and these debates aren't really anything new -- I'm a former runner and former racewalker who had success at both disciplines.

I understand that it looks awkward/ridiculous and doesn't enjoy a great tradition or history in the US. BUT on a global scale it is a pretty popular event -->

It has been in every Olympic Games in one form another -- except 1896

Spain's first Olympic Gold in Track and Field was in the Men's 20K in 1992 and the event remains quite popular there.

Ecuador's ONLY Olympic medal of any color (and first South American man to win a gold) was in the 20K also.

Mexican 'Walk Week' races have had 50,000+ spectators.

Robert Korzeniowski (sp?) of Poland won the 20K and 50K at the same olympics and the 50K in three games in a row. No one dares say he is anything less than a great ambassador for the sport of Athletics.

So.. the event is really not going anywhere just because it isn't 'liked' by American trackers. With that said ... I think Curt Clausen's Bronze in the 50K at the 1999 Worlds was the first medal by an American man in a distance event at World/Olympic competition in a long time ... certainly a notable thing.

On a personal note -- I struggled as a runner (mostly because I was a headcase)... I became a well regarded race walker (I grew up overseas and learned the event at a young age) and actually ended up running some great times off my racewalk training. I know this may sound SHOCKING to people on this list, but there are cases of runners using racewalking to suplement their training -- it can help develop some neglected muscle groups and is fantastic for injury recovery (less shock on impact).

I invite everybody to embrace the event -- remember the sport is Track & Field and racewalking is just another event ... the javelin is not a terribly natural thing and the US doesn't enjoy great success in it -- but that doesn't mean it is not worthy of respect...

Thanks for your time...

actually, I havent run a road race in over a year. since i am in college, i compete on cross country courses and on the track. so i'm not "holding up traffic"

how about that?

For those who think about it:

ccwalker_uwp = cross-country, racewalker, University of Wisconsin-Parkside

I am EXTREMELY proud of that, and that is why I've had this email address for over 10 years, and will continue to have it.

yea, I'm on a D1team with scholarship... Are u good enough for that?

disconcerting wrote:

actually, I havent run a road race in over a year. since i am in college, i compete on cross country courses and on the track. so i'm not "holding up traffic"

how about that?

let it go wrote:

You may laugh at Racewalking,

Everyone already does, in case you haven't noticed.

but I suggest some of you try it out. If you learned the technique and actually gave some effort you'd find it to be quite awkward and yes, difficult.

You're right, it is hard to JOG and make it look like you are walking. Why not just run.

[quote]

I ran in college but walked and ran in high school, upon graduation in the best running shape of my life I figured I'd hop into a walking race to see how much faster I was. I wasn't any faster, and I was so sore for the following week I couldn't even walk around, let alone run.

It's called specificity. It doesn't change the fact that you are not pushing your body to the limit while walking. I will wager my current net worth that you still would have finished the race with a faster time while running than you did while walking.

I don't have a problem with race walking in general. I do have a HUGE problem with it being considered a track and field event, though. I also have a HUGE problem with it being an Olympic event. Lets face it, the best athletes in the world run. The next tier still run even though they get beat by the best because they have too much pride to walk. The walkers are the third tier athletes who are trying to pass as elite athletes and get gold metals at the same time. That pisses me off.

Enough said.

CedarvilleStrider wrote:

And it certainly is harder than running - I'm a runner that knows.

You...you can't be serious...can you? Seriously...you think that?

I would be curious to what your running times were like. Maybe you THOUGHT you were a runner but you actually were a plodder. In that case, I can see how walking would be more difficult. But if you really were a runner (meaning you could compete in a race and weren't consistently DFL) there is NO WAY that you can say that walking is harder than running.

All I can think of when I think of race walking is the "Malcolm in the Middle" episode where Malcolm's dad race walks in slow motion wearing a full speed skiing aero suit (with teardrop shaped helmet). Gives race walking all the respect it deserves!

I am a former x/c & T&F runnner for a major state university. I was quite successsful with many X/c races sub 17:00 for 5K. I also have competed succesfully in 3 world trialthons. I started racewalking to keep in shape after a bad biking accident( broken bones, brain injury) and was actually good at it. So now I race and I doing well.

I didn't enjoy racewalking at first.I had to pay attention to my form as well as my pace where as in running you only after to pay attention to your pace. I still swim everyday, bike 2/per week, lift wts, and run 2/per week. I racewalk 5/per week and I like it now. When you are in the technique groove it does feel awesome, Like when you are in the biking groove (one with the bike).

Racewalking is harder than running because you mentally have to pay more attention and keep you pace under control. I can go faster then my body can hold the correct technique and that is hard work.

BTW - Racewalking was the most popular sport in America in from the late 1800's to early 1900's with many race being conducted from city to city, much betting and thousands of spectators.

Everyone chill out - enjoy the sports you enjoy doing and applaude everyone efforts in the sports they choose to particiapte in. Training/exercise keeps people healthier and mental balanced.

Kind regards to all,

Runner, swimmer, racewalker, biker, and rockclimber.

I have to laugh when I see elitist runners arguing about the merits of race walking. If you look at it from any perspective other than the narrowest of viewpoints that some runner share, you are really saying about yourselves exactly what you are saying about race walkers. First, the most of the rest of the sports world doesn’t consider running a sport, thus the Marion Jones ad that you only love me once every four years. Second, where does it put any of you sad folk that get beat by race walkers? I do remember cruising by many a laughing runner in the Philly marathon and distance run, while race walking at sub 8’s. They weren’t quite laughing when I negative splitted and they couldn’t keep up. Be careful casting those stones in glass houses.

Jeff Salvage

www.racewalk.com

Interesting. I am not a racewalker, though I have walked 100 miles in 23:40 (how many of you have ran a faster 100?) A world class time would be in the 17 hour range.

Note that the world record for the 50K racewalk is 3:35; that person's marathon split would be just under 3 hours.

As far as whether or not it belongs in "athletics" (the technical name for track and field), the proper analogy is, say, the breast stroke in swimming. It certainly is a slower stroke than the crawl, yet it is an accepted event.

Now, as to whether a national class racewalker in the US is not as good an athlete as a national class runner: yeah, I'd have to admit that. Every year we have trouble getting folks into the Olympic 50K at the A standard; no such trouble with, say, the marathon.

The US is not a world power in racewalking; hence some of our fastest walkers are on the older side. But that isn't true in other countries.

Listening to the racewalkers trying to legitimize themselves is very entertaining. Keep it coming ladies.

By the way, Lauren was the silver medalist in the Junior Pan American Games AND the bronze medalist in the Pan Am Racewalk Cup and she is only in college. How many of you can say that you have won medals in international competitions?

I didn't know Drew Berrymore was a racewalker.

I really don't have an opinion either way on race walking. If that's what you choose to do, more power to you and best of luck.

I do have a question though. What is your reason for hanging around letsrun? There aren't many constructive threads about racewalking here, so do you hang around for no other reason than waiting to get defensive about your sport in a thread?

This is like a Republican hanging around a Democratic chat room then being stunned that people discuss Democratic ideology and disagree with Republican ideology.

Were you expecting uplifting encouragement and deep discussions about WALKING at a RUNNING message board?