Posted by Monetta Roberts on July 06, 2008 at 14:26:50:
In Reply to: race walking article posted by mike tonder on July 06, 2008 at 08:34:13:
Tonder:
Thanks for the heads up about the article. It's the typical sort of blurb: a little bit right; a little bit not so right. In the Olympic Trials, like in the USATF National Championships, the racewalks begin and end on the stadium track, and in between move out to measured and certified loop course where the competitors are never out of sight of the rw judges. And that is for the same reason that the marathon trials and champs aren't contested on the track----they are long races, and it frees up the track for the shorter distances.
And not that I can say this to the article's author, but Keven Eastler, a super nice guy who I believe just made his 2nd Olympic team with his (Olympic A standard) 1:23 and change finish for 20K didn't walk a 7:00/mile pace----he was well under 7:00 per mile, for 12.4 miles, walking, without using his quads and without leaving the ground. It looks silly as all get out, I'll grant you that---but these top folks are unbelieveably fit and have muscles in places the article's author only ever though about having anything! Goofball! (Him....not you!)
Ok, Mo