lets get rid of the race walk

[Guest]

hey, does anyone else out there think that race walking is pointless? it looks funny and the only reason someone would do it is because they are not good enough as a runner.
who is with me?
we need to eliminate race walk, or at least add some walking events that sprinters would enjoy such as the 50 meter walk or 100m walk.
maybe a skip race-a 5k maybe. how about a 400 meter walk or even a 200 meter 3leged race?
noone wants to see a race walk. if you want to walk you should have to do it against the runners so are shown for the slow person that you are.

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

This topic has been done to death and merely provokes hate mail (like your own).

Let's all pass.

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

I think racewalking should be it's own sport, like triathlon etc. It's not track and field.

[racewalker]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

Yawn.

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

Now I know everybody must be on vacation, when an opportunity to bash the walks comes up and nobody rises to the bait. C'mon people, where's the hate?!

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

Hey, we all know the walks are idiotic--criticizing them is like shooting the proverbial fish in a barrel. However, we've been through all this quite recently (remember that lengthy string about events to drop)?

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

I'm not a fan of race walking but you have to admire what they can do. Have you ever tried to run a sub 40:00 10K? Yeah, it isn't easy (unless, of course you are a very fit, competitive runner), now try WALKING two of those i.e. 20K at that pace! The top walkers can break 1:20:00 for a 20K--that amazes me. I remember as a pretty fit runner back in the 60's (I was in 33:00 10K shape) I tried to race walk a mile and did 8:17... and it was HARD.

[athlete72125]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

but its not track and field. track is running!!!!! not walking!!!!

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

Lots of endeavors could be described as HARD...... does that mean we have to make them all into track events? What I don't like about the walks is that they violate the basic premise all track events- that is, by walking, you are not covering the distance as quickly as possible. What is the point?

[racewalker]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

>but its not track and field. track is
>running!!!!! not walking!!!!

Depends on your view point. I always thought T&F was walking and not running.

Here's why we should get rid of each event:
100 - Not really the fastest race since the average of the 100's in the 200 is faster. What's the point?
200 - Run around the turn, so probably not getting 100% available speed. What's the point?
400 - People don't start together, giving a tactical advantage to those on inside lanes. Inside lanes too tight, so that's not fair. What's the point?
800 - Not a "sprint". Not a distance run. "It's a desert topping and a floor wax in one." What's the point?
1500 - Not the wildly successful 1600 meter distance as contested in many US high schools. Also doesn't follow the "logical" doubling of distance that preceeds it. What's the point?
5k - TV doesn't show anything but the last lap or so, therefore it MUST be a pointless distance.
10k - Twice the length of the 5k, so must be twice as pointless.
Hurdles - Totally artificial. Pointless.
Steeple - Plasticized cross country. Pointless.
Discus - Oh, please. What's next - the frisbee throw for distance?
Javelin - They redesigned it to fly shorter distances, but the goal is to throw it the farthest. Huh? Kind of like a competition to see who can whisper the loudest.
Shot - Until you can throw this any way you want, it can't be taken seriously. Replace it with the softball throw from the President's fitness test & you've got something.
Long Jump - Can't be taken seriously until they reinstate Carl Lewis' 30-footer from the 82 Oly Festival since it shows that the human eye can't be used for judging.
High Jump - Any event that can be contested in outfits like Amy Acuff was wearing, can't be in T&F. No, wait, on second thought that really panders to TV, the final bastion of athletic taste. OK, the event goes but Amy can stay.
Hammer - Huh? What does this silly looking implement represent in real life? This gets sent to those strongman contests (Indoor weight throw, too).
Triple Jump - Looks silly. Why 3 jumps and not 4? Make it 100 jumps and you've got Olympic distance skipping.
Pole vault - Talk about silly. This goes to gymnastics where it belongs and where judges can properly evaluate form. Exception: The women who did the "Vault Girls" calendar can DEFINATELY stay. Same with Stacy D - just because she's a goddess.
Marathon - Rosie Ruiz. Male pacers for the women. 300 lb guys dressed as Superman. Guys in diving suits. Yeah, right.
Walks - We don't understand it, so we don't like it, so it gets canned. Besides, they walk like fashion models and that's ... well... you know....

So, what do we have left?

Hang together or hang separately.

DISCLAIMER FOR THE HUMOR-DEFICIENT: My tongue is firmly in my cheek. I will personally kill the first person who tries to get rid of the Vault Girls.

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

I tried to warn you . . . this is getting no where fast. Walkers like the event, the rest of us need to just chill. In a perfect world everyone would 'live and let live', but noooooo.

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

I'm not interested in the walks, but I think in no way do they "hurt" the sport any more than marathons do. They almost always not part of a regular meet program and often held by themselves outside of WC/OG competition.

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

Brian--the point in race walking is who can go the fastest...but it's the fastest with one foot always in contact with the ground!

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

Of course, a steeplechaser could probably cover the distance much faster if he or she simply ran around the water obstacle. Right?

>Lots of endeavors could be described as
>HARD...... does that mean we have to make them
>all into track events? What I don't like about
>the walks is that they violate the basic premise
>all track events- that is, by walking, you are
>not covering the distance as quickly as possible.
>What is the point?

[Guest]

Re: lets get rid of the race walk

That is the stupidest thing been said yet