Race walking: flying with your feet on the ground!

A short history

The XII and XIII century tradition of the English "footmen", who alternated running and walking as they accompanied their masters' coaches on long trips, inspired the walking competitions which were first held between 1775 and 1800 in England. These contests were over Six Days, 24 hours, etc.
In 1866 a 7 mile walking race on track was introduced to the British championships.
In 1908 walking was introduced to the Olympic Games in London with a 3500m and a 10 mile race.
Only the 10 mile race was conserved in 1912.
Two races were present again in the 1920 games: 3km and 20km.
In 1924, only the ten km race was conserved but, in view of the large number of irregularities encountered, walking was eliminated altogether from the 1928 Games.
Olympic walking was re-introduced in 1932 over a 50km distance and at 10km and 20km in 1948.
In 1952 20km and 50km distances were used as men's Olympic distances.
Women's race walking contests were first recorded in Czechoslovakia in 1932. 10km competitions were part of the IAAF World Championships for the first time in 1991 and the Olympic Games a year later.

Walking vs. Race Walking

Walking is a particularly human activity. This step by step progression, which maintains unbroken contact with the ground, is one of our first physical achievements. Yet, as an athletic event, walking is a paradox. Attempting to walk as fast as possible, within IAAF rules, means fighting the human instinct of breaking into a run for extra speed.
Competition walking looks very different to ordinary walking. When race walking, no visible (to the judges' naked eye) loss of contact with the ground must take place. The advancing leg should be straightened (not bent at the knee) from the moment of first ground contact until it is perfectly upright. Lasting almost 4 hours, the men’s 50km race walking event is the longest on the IAAF World Championships and Olympic timetable. It demands great strength and ultra-endurance.

News

With its origins going way back to the days of the English "footmen", race walking is one of the greatest paradoxes in athletics: trying to progress at the greatest possible speed without breaking into a run. We take a look at the history and the rules governing this discipline.