I have been racewalking for six years, and throughout those years, there are recurring statements and questions that I have gotten way too tired of hearing, and I am sure that other racewalkers feel the same way. Here is what not to say to a racewalker:
1. “Racewalking is not a sport."
This really frustrates me because racewalk is most definitely a sport. It is an event in track and field with two rules. The first is that the competitor must maintain contact with the ground at all times and the second is that the leg coming into contact with the ground must remain straight until the body passes over it. One can compete in racewalk at a variety of distances, ranging from 1500 to 50,000 meters. Olympic racewalkers can maintain a sub-seven minute mile pace for all 50,000 meters. If people were aware of this I think they would think twice before saying racewalking is not a sport.
2. “That looks easy.”
If people think racewalking is easy, then I challenge them to try it and let me know how it works out for them. Racewalking is not easy. It is an extremely technical event that requires a lot of focus and concentration to maintain the correct form. Anybody can run because it does not require a specific form in order to finish a race without being disqualified, but it takes a special athlete to racewalk.
3. “I should quit my sport and do racewalk instead, because it looks easy.”
When somebody says this to me, it just means that they are discrediting all the hard work I put into training and practices. Like I said, racewalking is not easy, and I absolutely hate when people think it is an easy way to participate in a sport. I do encourage people to try racewalking, but not because they think it will be an easy alternative.
4. “So, are there people that check your form?”
I often have to hold back my sarcastic comments when I respond to this question. Racewalk races have officials around the track or course that are equipped with yellow paddles with different symbols on them. When shown a right angle symbol on a paddle it means the competitor is bending his or her knee at the inappropriate time and must correct it in order to continue the race without being disqualified. The other paddle that can be shown to a competitor is a squiggly line symbol, which means that the competitor is losing contact with the ground. More than three violations of form can cause a competitor to be disqualified from the race. These officials take their jobs very seriously and will not let someone with improper form get by them without being shown a paddle.
5. “Don’t you just want to start running?”
If I wanted to start running, then I would compete in running events as opposed to racewalking events. I love racewalking and during a race it is all I can think about.
6. “Racewalking is really in the Olympics?”
Racewalking has been in the Olympics since the early 1900s. The women compete in a 20 kilometer race, while the men can compete in either a 20 kilometer race or a 50 kilometer race. While racewalking is not that popular in the United States, it is extremely popular in other countries throughout the world, so racewalk at the Olympics is a big deal. This year, three Americans have the honor of representing the United States at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
7. “You must get injured a lot.”
Unless you’re injury prone, injuries are no more common in racewalking than they are in any other sport. With that being said, there are definitely some parts of your body that feel the burn from racewalk more than others. With proper stretching and traning techniques, injuries can easily be avoided.
8. “Do you get tired when you racewalk?”
This question really frustrates me because racewalking is no easy task. It takes a lot of energy and focus to be successful at racewalk, and at the end of either a practice or race I am absolutely exhausted. When people ask me this question they are basically making fun of the sport and implying that they think it is easy.
9. “What’s the difference between speed walking and racewalking?”
Well for one, speed walking is definitely not in the Olympics. Speed walking can be a leisurely activity and does not involve specific rules that must be followed in order to be doing it correctly. It really irks me when people call racewalking speed walking because they are not the same thing. Just because someone is walking fast does not mean they are racewalking.
10. “How do you train for racewalk?”
I really do not know why training for racewalking is such a hard concept to understand. If you are training for a long distance racewalk race, then the workouts you would be doing are very similar to those done by long distance runners. The only difference is that you are racewalking instead of running. People are often surprised to find out that racewalkers do track workouts just like runners. We’re really not that different.
