Race walking, sometimes referred to as speedwalking, is a special long-distance race event in athletics in which the participants must walk. It is distinguished from running by the requirement that at any time at least one foot has contact with the ground (judged by the naked eye) and the supporting leg must be straightened (not bent at the knee) from the moment of the first impact of the foot with the ground until the supporting leg passes below the body). The participants swivel and tilt their hips to lengthen their strides and strive to get up on the toe as high as possible, while keeping the leading foot on the ground. World-class racewalkers can walk a mile (1.6 km) in under six minutes.
In competition, race walkers are expected to maintain good form and are penalized for bending the knee as it passes under the body or having no foot-to-ground contact. The latter infraction is known as lifting. There are judges on the course to monitor form and three judges submitting "red cards" for violations results in disqualification. There is a scoreboard placed on the course so competitors can see their violation status. If the third violation is received, the chief judge removes the competitor from the course by showing a red paddle. For monitoring reasons, races are held on a looped course or on a track so judges get to see competitors several times during a race. A judge could also "warn" a competitor that they are in danger of losing form by using a yellow paddle showing either lifting or bent knees. Disqualifications are routine at the elite level, such as the famous case of Jane Saville disqualified within sight of a gold medal in front of her home crowd in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Race walking is an Olympic sport with distances of 20 kilometers for both men and women and 50 kilometers for men only. A World Cup event in race walking is held biennally. Fitness-wise, it is said to exceed the caloric requirements of running because of stronger arm motion and less efficiency than running.
While race walking is the official name for the sport, many people who are not familiar with the event call it speedwalking, as racers walk at a fast pace. This term is disliked by race walkers, as it is the term that was used by those in the fitness industry (i.e. not track & field) to denote extra exertion while walking, but without any of the rules explained above.
More on [ Race walking ]

Field: Racewalking - Governing body for the sport. Includes history, upcoming events, race results and national team roster.
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Cincinnati Walking Club - Ohio group promotes all forms of walking including racewalking and hiking. Offers club and membership information, race results, events, nutrition, and training advice. Also includes racewalking classes, judging details, technique, clinics, and related links.
Dutch Centurions Homepage - A Centurion is one who has walked 100 miles within 24 hours. Contains a calendar, photos, results and news on long distance walking events around the world.
Erofit - Judy Heller's fitness and racewalking site. Training news, photos, tips and articles. .
North American Racewalking Foundation - Promoting the development of racewalking throughout the United States and Canada. Information on clubs, training, and technique; books, videos, and video-coaching service.
Meta Description: [ North American Racewalking Foundation --- promoting racewalking throughout the United States and Canada. ]
Race Walking Record Magazine - Includes subscription information, sample download copy, events, and related links.
Racewalking International - RWI is dedicated to promoting the sport of racewalking in the US and throughout the world. There is an online forum, articles, links and a calendar of events. This organization is the home of the US Racewalking team.
U.S. Racewalking results - Source for judged road and track racewalking results in the United States.
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USA Racewalking - A website dedicated to the Olympic sport of racewalking that contains competition related information, photos, national rankings, walking related links and a latest news section.
Meta Description: [ This site, dedicated to the sport of racewalking, was developed for Danielle Kirk and contains the following information: technique, USA national rankings, photos of past competitions, related walking links and more. ]
Walk USA - New York based team. Includes team member biographies, upcoming events, and training schedules.
Meta Description: [ WalkUSA Race Walking ]
Webwalker - Provides schedules, results, lists of clubs and organizations, information on training and fitness, articles, clinics, links, comments and suggestions.
World Class Racewalking - Racewalking site hosted by US National Racewalk Team member. Articles, training tips, forum.
| World Cup in race walking 20km women, Russia, Cheboksary 2008 | |
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