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Competitive walking began almost 400 years ago as English noblemen wagered over whose footman was faster. In the first half of the 19th Century, it had found its way across the Atlantic and, by the late 1870's, had become the second largest betting sport in the United States -- second only to horse racing.
Walking ("pedestrian") races often lasted for days, covered very long distances, and provided ample opportunities for wagering. (Two of the more famous long-distance pedestrian races involved trying to walk 100 miles in less than 24 hours, or trying to walk 1 mile each hour for 1,000 consecutive hours -- more than 41 days. People who walk 100 miles in less than 24 hours were, and still are, known as "centurions.")
Excesses in "professional" athletics (notably betting excesses) during the closing decades of the 19th Century led to their being replaced by "amateur" athletics -- most notably with the introduction of the modern Olympic Games in 1896. Walking experienced corresponding changes as amateur walking races replaced "wagering opportunities". Racewalking has been a part of the Olympic Games since 1908 for men, and since 1992 for women.
Racewalking style has evolved from one of wildly gyrating hips (the fodder of many laughs) to one of fluid movement that directs almost all energy into forward motion. Top racewalking form today is as smooth as top running form -- and, as expected, poor racewalking form is still as funny looking as poor running form.
Racewalking is now very popular in Europe, Russia, China, Australia, and Mexico (where a major championship can draw tens of thousands of spectators). In the United States, several thousand racewalkers can be found participating in local, regional, national, or international races; and the top racewalkers are working diligently to match the performances of the world's best.
DID YOU KNOW:
For centuries, competitive walkers had observed a "fair heel and toe" format in which most of their time was spent walking but they could "occasionally trot to ward off cramp." In 1878, however, a new race appeared in England (the Astley Belt Race) in which competitors could "go as you please" (i.e., walk or run). The athletes who chose this format established the basis for long-distance running events (such as the marathon) which first appeared in the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
In ancient Greece, the longest competitive runs were about 3 miles -- though messengers, such as Phidippides, ran/walked much longer distances. In effect then, modern long-distance runners is either emulating ancient messengers or they are simply racewalkers who choose to ignore the rules.
Acknowledgement: North American Racewalking Foundation (www.philsport.com)
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