The 50,000m Race Walk is the longest, most grueling event on the World Champs and Olympic schedule. The U.S. has had a long history in the 50k, including two bronze medals, 1968 and 1972 by the iconic Larry Young, now a world renowned artist.
Race walking requires the oxygen uptake of a world class cross country skier with the agility of a sprinter. Technique is key, even while exhausted.
That we did not have a representative in 2011 is just sad. The key is finding athletes with the drive, and endurance to brave 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours on the roads.
Elliott Denman covered the 50k for RBR, which was held on Saturday, September 3, 2011, in the streets of Daegu, Korea. Here is his report: ,
By ELLIOTT DENMAN
racewalking at the 13th World Championships of Track and Field, put his
red paddle to steady use Saturday morning as Day Eight of the Worlds
began with the men’s 50-kilometer racewalk. A total of three red cards
for a walker – written out by members of the judges panel, who hailed
from eight different nations – represented a walkers’ greatest misery –
being shown the dreaded red paddle, meaning disqualification.
violations, either “lifting” or “failure to straighten,” – spell
relegation to the sidelines, and no chance at all of “having a good
day,” as so many Daegu-ites wish their visitors.
card per walker, so this can hardly be one man’s – or one woman’s –
opinion. A DQ thus represents 37.5 percent (three eighths) consensus of
the panel. The chief judge doesn’t actually judge. He just administers
the whole judging process.
deference at all. Past honors meant nothing “on the day.” And that’s
how such notables as Yohan Diniz of France, Igor Yerokhin of Russia, and
Jesus Angel Garcia wound up being bounced to the sidelines. A total of
12 walkers “saw red.” Tough on them, individually, certainly. But
absolutely necessary to maintain the sanctity of the racewalkng game.
for duty at 8 a.m. These men are the grittiest of the gritty; ready,
willing and more than able to take on the challenge of going 50K the
longest and toughest of events on the World/Olympic program, Not only
are they required to go 31 miles, 120 yards – a little under five miles
longer than a marathon – but must “stay legal” while doing so.
but was DQd before the 20K mark. Australia’s Nathan Deakes, the 2007
World champion and former world record-holder, took over the pace and
seemed to have it under cruise control. Keep on cruising and he might
never be caught. Or so it seemed.
feeling leg pain somewhere past 30K. He’d led through the 25K midway
post (1:49.35) and stayed there through 30 (2:11.33.)
at 35K (2:33:48) and Deakes would soon bow out. Even the great champions
can’t go on gimpy wheels.
throughout as he doggedly trailed Diniz and then Deakes, turned grimmer
yet. The look on his face said it all – nobody’s going to catch me now.
not celebrated Russian teammate Denis Nizhegorodov, Deakes’ successor
as world record-holder (with his 3:34.14 in 2008); not another Aussie,
Jared Tallent, who’d medaled in both 20K and 50K walks at the Beijing
Olympics, not the Chinese threat, Tianfeng Si. Not anyone.
gold. Think you’re a speedy pedestrian, rushing down Main Street to get
across before the light turns, or to make your next business
appointment, or whatever? Think you could keep up with Bakulin for even a
few strides? Think again, bcause this pedestrian king was reeling off
mile after mile after mile after mile at just over 7 minutes apiece.
consistent: 22:23, 22:13, 21:56, 21:43, 21:51, 21:45, 21:57, 22:06,
22:02. Only after 45K did he show fatigue – but not much. He “slowed”
to a 23:08, when it really didn’t matter any further.
Chil-Sung Park grabbed seventh, as the home team’s racewalkers far
outstripped their teammates in the other 22 track events. Andres Chocho
of Ecuador – well known in Asbury Park, NJ, where he’s a two-time
winner of the Polar Bear 10-miler – lowered the South American record to
3:49.24 placing 11th.
New Zealand, 24th place in 4:08:46. He was still a whole lot faster
than another New Zealand racewalk notable, the late, great Norman Read,
who’d won the 1956 Olympics in 4:30:42.
of Irish walk star Robert Heffernan, who’d been considered a pre-race
medal threat by many. Tragically, his mother passed away in a fall;
Heffernan flew back to Ireland earlier in the week and was unable to
return to Daegu.
took a minimum of 4:08 (the B standard) to punch a ticket to Daegu.
And so men’s Team USA was represented in just 23 of 24 Worlds events.
one of the judges, seeing to it that justice was being done, and
“keeping it legal” around Gongpyeong Junction.
Author
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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