Racewalking

By Dave McGovern

Racewalking has a long and varied history. Of course the same could be said for cliff diving, elephant polo, and competitive hot-dog eating, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend you engage in any of those pursuits. I would, however, suggest you give racewalking a try, especially if you’re already walking for fitness. Any fitness activity can eventually get stale, but having a concrete goal in mind — like competing in an upcoming race — gives purpose to your daily walks.

Talk to most people and they understand walking, and they understand running, but bring up racewalking and their eyes glaze over. Racewalking? Yes, Racewalking! Part of the Olympic track and field program since 1904, racewalking combines the best elements of both walking and running. Walking — regular, pedestrian walking — is a great way to travel very long distances on foot, as long as you’re not overly concerned with how fast you go. But if you’re looking to get somewhere in a hurry, walking presents a serious mechanical barrier. Most people — even very fit people—have a difficult time breaking a 12-minute mile with normal walking technique. Elite racewalkers, however, can walk a mile in under six minutes, achieving heart rates and calorie burns comparable to those of elite runners. Even so, when most people think about moving fast on foot, they think running, not racewalking. And that’s a shame because racewalkers hit the ground with one third of the force of runners, and sustain about one third of the injuries.

Judy Heller demonstrates excellent racewalking technique. The stride sequence begins at the double-support phase (A) with the right (rear) foot pushing off vertically, and at about a 125º angle in relation to the shin. Notice how close the front (left) heel has landed to the body. After push-off (B), the right knee punches forward, bent at a 90º angle, initiating the driving phase of the stride, with the advancing foot sweeping through very low to the ground. Notice the support leg (the left leg) beginning to pull back as the body passes over it, creating a vaulting effect concurrent with the driving of the right knee/leg. As the thigh of the advancing (right) leg begins to pull back (C), the lower leg swings open and the knee straightens just before heel contact. After the right heel contacts the ground, the body begins to fall forward over it, while the left knee begins to punch forward to begin the next stride (C-D). The single-support phase (D) occurs when the leg is straight with the foot directly under the body (D). As the left leg continues to drive forward, the body falls forward (E), caught by the straightened left leg (F).

If racewalking can give you a much better workout than “regular” walking without the injuries that are common to runners, why isn’t it more popular? Well, in some places it is. In Russia, in Australia, in Mexico, in many South American countries, and even in some places in the US — South Texas, mainly — kids are taught to racewalk in gym class in school, and it is a respected fitness activity and competitive outlet. But outside of these areas racewalking is relatively unknown. There aren’t many of us out there, it doesn’t get much media coverage, and consequently when most people do see a racewalker in action they tend to break out into uncontrollable snickering. But beyond all that, the main drawback to racewalking is that for some people it takes a little work to learn the proper technique. Whereas past the age of twelve to fourteen months, walking and running come pretty naturally, racewalking takes a little bit of practice to master, and a lot of people don’t want to make the effort. But didn’t learning to walk and run without falling over take a little effort? Of course it did. And so did learning to ride a bike, and so did perfecting the mambo and your golf swing. So with that in mind, you may want to give racewalking a try — or at least add some elements of racewalking technique to your current walking form.

You don’t need to use perfect Olympic racewalking technique to get a great workout. But abiding by the rules can allow you to walk much faster than you would ever be able to with your current walking technique, without the risk of injury common to runners. I could complicate things, but there are really only two rules: you must keep one foot on the ground at all times, and your knee must be straightened from the moment the heel of the advancing leg hits the ground until that leg passes directly under the body. That may sound a little strange, but the straight leg not only provides the leverage that propels racewalkers forward so quickly, it also keeps the knee safe from many of the injuries that befall so many runners.

To get an idea of what racewalking feels like, simply stand in place with your feet together and your arms held by your sides with the elbows bent at 90º. Now pump your knees forward and back while keeping your weight on your heels and your feet flat on the ground. Each time you pull your knee back, your leg will straighten under your body just as it will when you’re racewalking. Now all you need to do is add some stride length by stepping forward a bit each time you pump your knee forward. Just be sure to land on your heels. If you land flat-footed your knees will probably bend when your foot hits the ground. Concentrate on taking short, quick steps rather than long, slow strides. If you do that, you’ll have an easier time keeping your knees straight, and you’ll expend much less energy. As you get stronger, your stride should get longer, but make sure the extra stride length is behind your body; keep it short in front.

Practicing racewalking technique on a very gradual hill (3% to 5% grade) will make it even easier to pick up the technique because it reinforces many of the elements that make racewalking racewalking. The hill will force you to shorten your stride, take quicker steps, use your feet more actively, and pump your arms and knees more vigorously. Once you’ve locked in the technique, the key to getting faster is to pump your arms and drive your knees more vigorously to give yourself a longer, more powerful stride.

Elite racewalkers can walk a 5k (3.1 miles) race in less than 20 minutes and a marathon (26.2 miles) in under 3 hours. It may take a while for you to get up to those speeds, but if you’re ready to mix it up with some local racewalkers, many running races include competitive walk divisions. To find out about races in your area, contact your local running store or running club, or head to my list of local racewalking contacts around the world at www.racewalking.org/contacts.

Dave McGovern is a seven-time Olympic Trials finalist and the author of The Complete Guide to Racewalking, The Complete Guide to Marathon Walking and The Complete Guide to Competitive Walking. For more information www.racewalking.org.