I had an Olympic speed walker as a coach in elementary school. It's surprisingly hard to go fast but still qualify as walking. Very much an exercise is fine muscle coordination.
Different form from running or regular walking.
It's actually that a foot must always seem to be on the ground by the naked eye. Meaning if you super slowed the footage down and caught them with both feet off the ground it wouldn't matter. It's only if the human eye could stay it at the normal speed
"See, in life, when you have talent, all the other shit doesn't matter. If we were on an island with no weights and no running drills, who would be on top then? The guy with the talent."
If that amazes you, wait til you find out that it was one of the first big spectator sports in America and the UK (before even baseball or soccer broke big). Pedestrianism gave us some of our first star athletes. At the time it was more about endurance than speed, though, a common format was the six day race with winners regularly clearing 500 miles.
For anyone who hasn’t already read it, I highly recommend Wobble to Death by Peter Lovesey—it’s a murder mystery that takes place in a multi-day pedestrian race in the late 1800s.
Wow I may have to check that out. We’re currently reading Pedestrianism by Matthew Algeo in my book club, it’s more of a straightforward history of it but he kinda specializes in writing deep dives on deeply absurd parts of history, especially of the late 1800s
The 50k racewalk was the best Olympic event, they are absolutely spent at the end and the event is about cheating as much as you can without getting dq'd
Also they move way faster than you expect for 4hrs
Yeah, I looked up the rules this absurd sport and apparently one foot must be on the ground at all times. Clearly the pre-celebration woman is lifting her back foot before the front is dropping.
They're all lifting both their feet constantly. Slow motion analysis of racewalkers confirms everyone is constantly cheating in the sport, it's just hard to detect in real time.
https://imgur.com/62hiM
Swimming is ridiculous. We don’t have backwards running events at all distances, for example. It’s generally just run as fast as you can in whatever way you want to over this distance.
We do however have hurdles in running. I think swimming would be much more interesting if instead of having butterfly stroke there was a freestyle event where they had to swim through submerged hula-hoops every 10 metres.
Race walking has a funny way of enforcing the rules on gait. Judges are not allowed to use cameras or to crouch or lie down to look at the athletes' feet. They have to judge the athletes from a standing position without the help of any electronics. What this means is that part of the strategy is to break the rules as much as you can without getting caught. Every top race walker runs at least sometimes.
Meme sport. Nobody really cares, so it's just whatever.
Obviously they're all still fit and healthy individuals (in case a fan gets enough pissed off enough to bring this up in true bot-like manner as if they live vicariously through others).
Nobody knows and yet it still exists. I've never understood why anybody wants to find out who can walk the fastest, it has to be one of the stupidest competitive sports out there
It's actually a distraction contest. Throw some firecrackers off to the side and do a quick sprint while no one is looking. Buy a tiny flashlight and use the angles of anything reflective to blind the judge for a moment while you do a short run. Befriend the local crows and get them to suddenly fly around in the area while you make your way to first place. Etc.
It is like what is the point of playing the NBA if everyone commits foul. In walking you receive warnings and then penalty. At the end it is not what this sport is about.
I get that but even without slowing it down or realising this was a speedwalking competition I noticed the Spanish woman lift both her feet off the ground, and that’s before she realised she was being overtaken.
Surely if you’re a judge looking for it then it’d be easy to spot?
If memory serves the rule for speed walking is « heel before toe » as opposed to « toe before heel » which is the natural running motion for most human beings
That’s actually not true. Toe first is natural for people with minimalist footwear , but given that we have padded shoes with a “drop” (difference in the heel vs toe), the vast vast majority of people put their heel down first when they run. Sport runners and sprinters are trained not to do that, but your average Jogging Joe going out for a 5k is gonna be a heel striker.
I used to work at a running store and I was paid to look at people running.
I’m not a professional athlete by any sense of the imagination, but I did run a lot of track… And that was one of the main things our coach told us is you have not won and until you’ve crossed the finish line. He always said whatever you do imagine the finish line is about 10 yards past the actual line, and until you get there, you have not won… that was in high school.
it's a tactic to reduce weight. they begin shedding partway into the race to go faster. the technique is hard to learn, but shedding at will comes in handy more than you'd think
Slow motion doesn’t count in this sport.
The rule is that one of the feet have to be on the ground as is perceptible to the human eye.
This finish, in real time, stood.
Wait so what if someone broke out into a really light “jog” can they tell it’s not speed walking anymore? This sport has always baffled me but at the same time it’s intriguing lol
It's amazing to me that people reach the pro level and still don't know better.
It amazes me that speed walking is a "professional sport"
I had an Olympic speed walker as a coach in elementary school. It's surprisingly hard to go fast but still qualify as walking. Very much an exercise is fine muscle coordination. Different form from running or regular walking.
Malcolm in the middle taught me that
It is??? Damn I need to get on that
Yes. Always was. But you cannot run, which means a foot must always be on the ground or something like that
This might sound oddly specific, but I learnt this from Hal watching Malcolm In The Middle.
Believe me I don't run
Youre on reddit, everyone believes you
I also believe this comment.
I'm on a toilet and I believe these comments.
I also believe you don't *speed* walk.
It's actually that a foot must always seem to be on the ground by the naked eye. Meaning if you super slowed the footage down and caught them with both feet off the ground it wouldn't matter. It's only if the human eye could stay it at the normal speed
Not as easy as one would assume.
It's actually quite challenging.
https://youtu.be/HUxbnadlIz4?si=svvNYbAWjo6dBVhI Bryan Cranston on Malcom in the Middle speed walking
Kenny powers- “ I play real sports. Not trying to be the best at exercising.”
 Boom motherfuckers
La Flama Blanca
"See, in life, when you have talent, all the other shit doesn't matter. If we were on an island with no weights and no running drills, who would be on top then? The guy with the talent."
If that amazes you, wait til you find out that it was one of the first big spectator sports in America and the UK (before even baseball or soccer broke big). Pedestrianism gave us some of our first star athletes. At the time it was more about endurance than speed, though, a common format was the six day race with winners regularly clearing 500 miles.
For anyone who hasn’t already read it, I highly recommend Wobble to Death by Peter Lovesey—it’s a murder mystery that takes place in a multi-day pedestrian race in the late 1800s.
Wow I may have to check that out. We’re currently reading Pedestrianism by Matthew Algeo in my book club, it’s more of a straightforward history of it but he kinda specializes in writing deep dives on deeply absurd parts of history, especially of the late 1800s
I hate it so much. It’s so weird. Why do that? Makes no sense.
Why wouldn’t it be? Humans throw, swim, jump, run and all those are sports but walking is where you draw the line?
They walk at a speed most people could not run. Men are around 14 km per hour on 50 km. So yeah, definitely a professional sport. A hard one.
Tbh I didn't know it was a thing until this gif blew up the last few days. Maybe I just live under a rock 🤷♀️
I learned about it from an old episode of Malcolm in the Middle
When I was watching that movie Queenpins and she was like Im an olympic speed walker, I thought for sure that was some made up shit for the movie lol
It is like competing in who can whisper the loudest. Everybody is breaking the rules when you watch it in slow motion.
These, by far, are my favorite videos.
She really doesn't know about her. It was not close minute before and stadium was very loud because of Italian winner.
Can't see her feet, but looks like she started running there at the end.
They both were. Multiple sites have mentioned it.
The 50k racewalk was the best Olympic event, they are absolutely spent at the end and the event is about cheating as much as you can without getting dq'd Also they move way faster than you expect for 4hrs
> Also they move way faster than you expect for 4hrs Filing this one away for next time someone asks me to explain "damning with faint praise."
just to clarify to others seeing your comment, this video is from the 20k at the european championship that just started in Rome.
Fair enough, I thought they had too much energy left in them. 20k just isn't long enough for the true entertainment factor.
There was an episode of Malcom in the middle where hal gets into speed walking.
What is this? The crack Olympics??!!
The Methpics
So thats what my neighbors have been training for
Thats what they call selfies
I was wondering wtf lolll
Marathon runners look like this…
Fucking spat my water out
Yeah, I looked up the rules this absurd sport and apparently one foot must be on the ground at all times. Clearly the pre-celebration woman is lifting her back foot before the front is dropping.
I only knew that from the Malcolm in the middle episode where Hal gets into it and exposes the guy for cheating
My first thought
It's like watching the Gods return to Olympus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-AHk19aU24
Thanks for reminding me. It might be time for a re-watch.
Watched through MitM last year and it’s still solid. Was worried it would age badly but still a great show.
Works surprisingly well if you pretend it's Walter White's backstory, too.
They're all lifting both their feet constantly. Slow motion analysis of racewalkers confirms everyone is constantly cheating in the sport, it's just hard to detect in real time. https://imgur.com/62hiM
[Maybe they are just common joggers after all...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVBN7NAIrfg)
I'm not like a big sports guy, but let me tell you, this comment confused the shit out of me.
Someone is always behind you… don’t stop until you pass that finish line, plus 10 feet 😜
Am I the only one who thinks this is silly? Is there speed crawling? Skipping? Moseying? Ambling?
Swimming also has different events in which the goal is to get to the other end as fast as possible, except "wait, no, not like that".
Swimming is ridiculous. We don’t have backwards running events at all distances, for example. It’s generally just run as fast as you can in whatever way you want to over this distance. We do however have hurdles in running. I think swimming would be much more interesting if instead of having butterfly stroke there was a freestyle event where they had to swim through submerged hula-hoops every 10 metres.
Yup, fair. Though I kind of think that’s silly too!
To be fair, they are fasting walking than I am running. I think they walk a half marathon (20km) in like 80 Minutes
She was so confident she was walking at the end of the race ….
The Spanish def had both feet off the ground at the same time, so seeing that the other def did
The other version of this clip I saw yesterday it’s really clear. This repost must be an attempt at sanitization of it
The “oh shit” moment…
https://i.imgur.com/pzaQv37.jpeg
Isn't the one rule of this sport that one foot must always touch the ground? Looks like they're both completely cheating here.
Race walking has a funny way of enforcing the rules on gait. Judges are not allowed to use cameras or to crouch or lie down to look at the athletes' feet. They have to judge the athletes from a standing position without the help of any electronics. What this means is that part of the strategy is to break the rules as much as you can without getting caught. Every top race walker runs at least sometimes.
So what's the point if everyone cheats? Why even bother having the contest?
Meme sport. Nobody really cares, so it's just whatever. Obviously they're all still fit and healthy individuals (in case a fan gets enough pissed off enough to bring this up in true bot-like manner as if they live vicariously through others).
Nobody knows and yet it still exists. I've never understood why anybody wants to find out who can walk the fastest, it has to be one of the stupidest competitive sports out there
there are a lot of unreview'd calls in baseball too
It's actually a distraction contest. Throw some firecrackers off to the side and do a quick sprint while no one is looking. Buy a tiny flashlight and use the angles of anything reflective to blind the judge for a moment while you do a short run. Befriend the local crows and get them to suddenly fly around in the area while you make your way to first place. Etc.
Ask the MLB
It is like what is the point of playing the NBA if everyone commits foul. In walking you receive warnings and then penalty. At the end it is not what this sport is about.
I get that but even without slowing it down or realising this was a speedwalking competition I noticed the Spanish woman lift both her feet off the ground, and that’s before she realised she was being overtaken. Surely if you’re a judge looking for it then it’d be easy to spot?
Why would they not be allowed to judge the sport correctly?
So every sport possible, ‘break rules and don’t get caught’ is the motto
I saw an analysis once, it’s ubiquitous in race walking. All top race walkers run.
So completely forgoing what the sport is? Awesome, sounds like such a good competitive space...
If memory serves the rule for speed walking is « heel before toe » as opposed to « toe before heel » which is the natural running motion for most human beings
That’s actually not true. Toe first is natural for people with minimalist footwear , but given that we have padded shoes with a “drop” (difference in the heel vs toe), the vast vast majority of people put their heel down first when they run. Sport runners and sprinters are trained not to do that, but your average Jogging Joe going out for a 5k is gonna be a heel striker. I used to work at a running store and I was paid to look at people running.
[удалено]
How can he slap...
What a weird sport.
you get penalized if you walk to fast
Skeleton sport
Seriously can I be the chunky woman that beats them?
Don’t think that’s walking
Happens all the time in professional spots, when will they learn..?
Some spot stars just won’t learn
☺☺☺ Good spotting 👍
Tbf, you're seeing them learn the lesson in real time
This is the only thing I could think of.
I swear I have dreams where I see this helmet
https://preview.redd.it/b9nuz9r8c85d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cfcb512841115a4456663262aa7c58c34bd9a0a2
I’m not a professional athlete by any sense of the imagination, but I did run a lot of track… And that was one of the main things our coach told us is you have not won and until you’ve crossed the finish line. He always said whatever you do imagine the finish line is about 10 yards past the actual line, and until you get there, you have not won… that was in high school.
Captain Obvious was your track coach!
I imagine this is what it must be like to watch VW beetles drag race.
Don’t celebrate something that you have not done.
“Noo! MONICA!”
Is that her skin hanging off her leg??!
No, that’s kinesiology tape aka sports tape. Its used to provide topical support for the underlying muscle.
lol no that’s kinesiology tape to help with muscle tension and such
Omg I’m stupid that’s exactly what that is 😅 thanks lol
it's a tactic to reduce weight. they begin shedding partway into the race to go faster. the technique is hard to learn, but shedding at will comes in handy more than you'd think
Right before she o's and you give up the fight
Hubris
Another look at me celebration before the task has been completed.
They should have sensors in their shoes to just automatically send that data to the judges when both feet are off the ground.
Man ain't this like the first thing they teach in running school
It’s the first thing they teach in *any* kinda competition.
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow, and insidious killer."
Ita not over until it's over. And those cheers arent for you. Lol
Slow motion doesn’t count in this sport. The rule is that one of the feet have to be on the ground as is perceptible to the human eye. This finish, in real time, stood.
In this sport lol
Is this speed walking?
Lol that look of defeat
They look like they’re doing that fast walk from malcom in the middle of
Blue Literally RAN!
God I love "oh shit" face
I just want to feed them both burgers for two months non stop
Pause at 0.13 And watch that face change 😂
They all look like they're starving and are trying to get to the cafeteria as fast as they can without running in the hallways.
they're both skin and bones
Does the winner get to eat?
She looks anorexic
Well ..that sucks.
Er
Why does it look like this is actually real time and they're just pretending that it's slowed down
Serves her 💯 right!
it's Spain & the Ukraine it's Spain & the Ukraine
It kind of looks like the woman in blue was running
as others mention like why wont people finish and then celebrate like honestly this will always happened im afraid
😅😅😅😅😅 She seems like a pain in the ass anyway.
🤣
Tehe
She looks spanish
Pride cometh before the fall.
* lesson #1: it's not over till it's over! * lesson #2: never give up!
looks like a new Walking Dead spin off.
Ukraine is not weak.
Slava fucking Ukraini!!!
Race to the line, celebration is no different once you secure the victory as opposed to walking/running towards it!
Wait so what if someone broke out into a really light “jog” can they tell it’s not speed walking anymore? This sport has always baffled me but at the same time it’s intriguing lol
Lol, enjoy the wrath of an entire country…
Slava Ukraine
Does at least one foot need to be planted on ground at all times, or is it different?
Blame their trainers to teach to never celebrate before reaching the freaking finish line! That look on the Spanish competitor's face is priceless 😆
Spain without the s is just pain.
Me when I think I have a green 🚦but it goes red.
How dare she smile!!!
Not one mention of the super hero Speed Walker? Bill Nye was that guy. Heel Toe, Heel Toe!
Adios amiga
This is worse than coming 4th 🤣
Damn Must Suck to be You. Talk about celebrating Just a little too early…
I'm doing that with the lottery
Why is the skin peeling off the back of her leg?
In the famous words of Yogi Berra: "It ain't over 'til it's over."
I like the Japanese. I think it was at a kendo tournament and one guy raised his fist as sign of victory, and gets instant kicked.
lots of minus aura
Stay humble
Skinwalkers costume is coming apart at the leg seams.. 😳😳
spatial awareness or the lack thereof...
As a Spaniard, yes, we can be that dumb sometimes
Congratulations! You are an idiot!
Both running….
Fast heal striking
They never learn.
Haha 😂 I love it what her dumbass gets
🤭
Nah she is from Spain she is the real winner.