Aug 23 2008

How is this a Sport?

Posted by nathan in Endurance Athletics
0 Comments

Racewalking…really?

So I am attempting to watch the Olympics (more on my disapproval of China later), and I stumbled upon an event I thought was a joke. I started watching this race and burst into tears I was laughing so hard. I mean really, is racewalking serious?

I apologize if you are an avid fan of racewalking or even a racewalker yourself, but I just cannot let this pass. Young and healthy “athletes” should be running or jogging and I am quite sure these racewalkers can.

It is not that I have a problem with the walking fast thing, because I don’t mind laughing at race walkers as I drive to work in the morning, or that I believe running to be a superior sport (it is), but I really cannot understand what makes someone interested in race walking and furthermore how it can be called a sport? An Olympic Sport no less!

I was watching and listening to the commentators talk about the technical aspects of race walking and as I watched these people distort their body in such an unnatural way in order to achieve this form, I was not amazed, but disgusted. Surely this form must have long term effects on the body. Is it that these people can’t run? Are these people afraid to run? Is this really a sport?

Now that I have been made aware of this monstrosity, I am terrified by the thought of what lies beyond. The horror of racewalking clubs and racewalking world cups keeps me up at night. Someone please help me make sense out of this nonsense.