Racewalking
The perfect sport for baby boomers
If you are a baby boomer, you probably remember when joggers first appeared in the 1960s. They looked strange, bouncing down the street not going anywhere fast. But in a few years joggers were everywhere. The “tipping point” had been reached, and joggers no longer seemed odd. Racewalking, which may look a bit strange to the unaccustomed eye, can be for aging baby boomers what jogging and running were for them in their younger years. It can open up a whole new era of fitness at a time when aging joints complain about most types of vigorous activity. An Olympic sport for 100 years, racewalking is incredibly aerobic yet kind to joints. Perhaps health-conscious baby boomers will take this sport to the tipping point, and, someday, racewalkers training in the park won’t draw a second glance.
Highly aerobic
Everyone knows regular aerobic exercise is essential for good cardiovascular health.
Racewalking is definitely aerobic. According to Jeff Salvage, a former world-class racewalker and author on the subject, running uses 70 percent of the muscles in the body. Racewalking uses 95 percent.
Running uses 70 percent of the muscles in the body. Racewalking uses 95 percent.
Fifty-something William Riley, Jr. of Belleville is proof. “I’m at my highest fitness level ever,” he said. After a few years of racewalking his resting pulse is 46 to 50 beats per minute. He had to buy a new wardrobe for his trimmed-down physique.
Low impact
In running and jogging the joints take a pounding. Estimates put the force of a runner’s heel impact at three and one-half times body weight or more. A racewalker’s impact is estimated at just one and one-half times body weight.
Most running shoes have thick heels to absorb the shock, while racewalkers use shoes with thinner heels. The protection isn’t needed, and lower heels help with racewalking technique. A study of 400 racewalkers indicated one injury, including even minor injuries, every 6.4 years of participation in the sport. A dozen studies of runners indicated injuries every one and one-half to four years.
Like many racewalkers, Charles Williams of Atlanta, Ga., got into the sport because of injuries he received while running.
“I’m trying to get older runners to switch over to racewalking before they disintegrate,” he said. “I tend to pass my old teammates on half marathons these days,” the septuagenarian added.
Fitness or competition
Many racewalkers pursue the sport for fitness and don’t enter any judged racewalks. It’s a great way to get in shape and even lose some weight, if that’s your goal. About 20 people learned to racewalk this past summer as a part of Abe’s Army, the Springfield Road Runners Club’s preparation for the 10K Abe’s Amble the last day of the Illinois State Fair. New racewalkers joined the group as it continued into the fall. “Racewalking helped me intensify my regular workouts, lose weight and make new friends,” said Diane Rutledge, an Abe’s Army member from Springfield. “I am happy to sing the praises of racewalking.”
Others become avid racewalkers because of the opportunity for athletic competition. In
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