fall to the left of the stripe. In racewalking, each footstep would touch the stripe. The idea is to efficiently move forward, not side to side.

Special note to men
“It’s easier to get women to give up running than to get men to give up running,” said Bonnie Stein, a coach based in Florida who has taught thousands to racewalk. When she explains to potential trainees that racewalking will give the same aerobic benefit as running with less abuse to the body, women are ready to switch. But she said many men persist in abusing their injured joints by continuing to try to run. Perhaps some men think any activity with the word “walk” in it must be wimpy. They could not be more wrong. The winner in the men’s 50K racewalk at the Beijing Olympics completed the course in three hours and 37 minutes, or seven minutes per mile for 31 miles, without running. Nothing wimpy about that.

Brent Bohlen is completing a book that encourages health-conscious baby boomers to take up racewalking as a low-impact alternative to running and jogging. He placed fifth in the 55-59 age group in the 1,500 meter and 5K racewalk events at the 2007 National Senior Games in Louisville, Ky. He expects to again train racewalkers as a part of the Springfield Road Runners Club’s 2009 Abe’s Army program.