Racewalking: A Great Workout With Less Impact
The beauty of racewalking is that, because it involves the entire body, it provides a better cardio workout than running, but with a smooth, fluid motion that imparts only about a third the impact of running. Runners work their legs strenuously but racewalkers add a vigorous arm movement and hip rotation. So, you get a huge fitness benefit from a sport that's about as close to being injury-free as any you will ever find. For runners who find that their joints are suffering from pounding on streets and trails, racewalking can be the answer. Most racewalkers who initially switch from running because of injuries find their new sport to be so much more enjoyable and physically rewarding that they quickly lose any interest in ever returning to running.
But racewalking is different from running in that it is something that you have to learn how to do. Some people pick it up more quickly than others. But it's an "invented" sport: it does not come naturally. Typically, a new racewalker will only require a few days to learn the basics. But becoming really good at it may take years of effort. If you have other racewalkers around whom you can mimic and who will give you pointers, that is a great help. It is also very beneficial, in the early stages, to have someone video your racewalking so you can see what you are doing and make corrections. Taking a clinic or two from a good racewalking coach as early in your training as possible can make all the difference. The upside is, once you have learned the basics, racewalking is great fun and builds fitness, even if your form is not yet what it someday will be and you are not yet very fast. As you keep working at it and begin to pick up smoothness, speed and endurance, it is wonderfully satisfying and highly addictive!
There are only two rules in racewalking: (1) One foot must be on the ground at all times and (2) the front knee must be locked straight from the time the heel hits the ground until the body passes over it. The characteristic hip motion of the racewalker is caused by the walker pulling his front leg strongly backward from the hip, extending the leg behind him as his opposite leg pivots forward, which adds an extra six inches or so to each stride. Put together a fluid movement, good hip extension, a strong vault forward off the back toes, plus a lot of endurance, and the result can be surprisingly fast: world-class walkers get up to around a 6-minute mile pace.
Of course, most recreational racewalkers are not quite that speedy. Depending on level of expertise, age, conditioning and many other factors, the typical local racewalker walks at somewhere between an eight and a fourteen minute mile pace. An eleven to thirteen minute mile training pace is probably typical. If you look at video of racewalkers, recreational and otherwise (such as this video from Racewalk Planet) you will see two distinctly different styles: a more flat-footed, walking-based, fitness-oriented racewalk and an off-the-toes running-based competition-oriented version. Both are within the rules but the latter is what competitive racewalkers do. And it is what all racewalkers who strive for faster times, winning races or just getting their heart rates up to their maximum training level have to learn, eventually, if they have not started out that way.
People were racewalking in contests as long ago as the 17th century but the sport was not formalized with rules until the late 19th century. In 1908 it became an Olympic sport for men, in 1992 for women.
Developing a smooth, efficient, running-based racewalking technique that allows you to go really fast can take time. Many experienced racewalkers will tell you that they worked on their technique for years before they started to concentrate more on building strength, endurance and maximizing their speed. Of course, not every racewalker even wants to go fast or has any interest in racing; they just want to do it for fun and fitness.
Racewalking feels wonderful once you learn a smooth, efficient technique. It's kind of like smoothly flowing down the track or trail, rather than pounding along. Some describe it as being as close as you can get to the feeling of “rolling along on wheels”, without actually adding any. And for those who enjoy the creative nature of the training process itself, learning how to racewalk well, getting better and better at it over time as you work on your technique and endurance, can be extremely gratifying.
In addition, our Alberto Medina, a masters racewalker whom you may see training on the Hike & Bike Trail, racewalked in the World Masters Championships in Riccione, Italy in September 2007. Alberto walked the 10km (6.21 miles) and 20km (12.43 miles) races at 56:02 and 1:55:29, respectively. That's about a 9 minute per mile pace!
More recently, Alberto won both the 5K and 10K racewalks on July 10, at the 2009 USA Track & Field Masters meet!
If you are new to racewalking but it is something that you think you might enjoy and benefit from, then please take a look at the Events, Links and Tips pages on this website. We have had, in the past, occasional small, informal free clinics for racewalkers. Racewalking coach Dave McGovern has been here twice recently to hold a two-day clinic and that could happen again. Or feel free to send an email to this website, to see if you can arrange a get-together with a local racewalker on the Hike & Bike Trail or elsewhere for some basic start-up instruction.
Website by Gary Davis. Armadillo Logo by Noah Davis.