I’ve always thought of myself as something of a speedy walker. Not, admittedly, the first thing to go on my CV, but a useful accolade nonetheless. “No running” signs never phase me. It’ll be a cold day in hell when I’m forced to break stride for the bus. Unfortunately, as I’ve just found out, I’m a snail compared to the best in the business. There’s a whole sport out there dedicated to the late-for-work march – and those who compete do so at a pace that needs to be seen to be believed.
Which is why, on a gloomy morning in early December, I found myself struggling to keep pace with Tom Bosworth, the UK’s number one ranked race walker, as he walked along beside me.
Tom and his coach (who gave me a few words, right) kindly allowed me to take part in a training session, as he begins the serious build up to Rio 2016. First up was a 10K tempo ‘walk’ (I, obviously, was running) which was completed in a time many runners would be very pleased with: 44 minutes. This was immediately followed by a grueling track session of 10 x 500m with 100m jog recovery. I tactfully cited photography responsibilities as the reason for only joining him for five of the efforts.
You, like me, might have assumed race walking to be the preserve of the old. You might have caught a glimpse of it while flicking through the Olympic events on your red button, thought, “This is a bit weird,” and moved on.
But you, also like me, will have your assumptions completely crushed when you find out just how quickly these athletes can travel. The 5K world record is 18mins 21secs – enough to win most parkruns – and for 10K it’s 37mins 11secs; Tom walks 20K at around four minutes per kilometre.
Sometimes, it seems, it really is best to walk before you run. See the full video below.
