THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 30, 1996 TAG: 9606300231
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: 58 lines
Surrounded by sprinters, pole vaulters and shot putters, Bruce Booth and 10 others might have endured the best workout of all Saturday morning at the Hampton University track - and all they did was put one foot in front of another.
Quickly.
Short strides, compact arm swings, straight legs and one foot on the ground at all times distinguished the day's leaders in the 5-kilometer racewalk at the Virginia State Games. But don't be fooled by the word walk. When it's done technically correct, racewalk is no stroll in the park.
``People think you can't get a good workout with racewalk; they think you have to run,'' said Dennis Hughes, the walk coordinator for the Tidewater Striders. ``But if you get good at it, it's as good as running, and it's injury free..''
Hughes was second to Booth, who finished the 12 1/2-laps on the aqua-blue asphalt in 25 minutes, 23 seconds, leading the entire way.
Booth, from Salem, competes in two dozen or so racewalks every year, training for them by walking 50 miles a week.
Hughes, a physical education major at Norfolk State, has heard the teasing when he racewalks in his Virginia Beach neighborhood. He's disappointed that the sport hasn't caught on more in Hampton Roads and will work with anyone wanting to master the technique, which takes some getting used to. Novices tend to almost waddle more than walk and use exaggerated arm motions.
But wasting motion tacks on seconds to your time, and the proper technique is often gained through clinics and repitition. The leg supporting the body must remain straight, and continuous contact with the ground must be maintained by not raising one foot until the heel of the other foot is on the ground.
Mistakes are costly. Judges throughout the course hold up paddles when a walker is close to illegal and issue red cards for a violation. If three different judges write red cards, the walker is disqualified.
Sharon Good, fresh from officiating last week's Olympic Trials in Atlanta, was among the judges, pointing out flaws to the passing walkers much like a good-natured drill sergeant. ``Watch that knee!'' she urged.
At the Trials, she judged the 10K for women and the 20K for men. ``At that level, you have people off the ground more,'' said Good, an official for 18 years. ``In a race like this, what you're watching mostly is the straight knee.''
And the finish. Good, one of five judges, was stationed at the finish line, advising walkers who too quickly broke stride in favor of saggy knees. ``Always walk a couple of steps through the finish line before you break, dear,'' she told Crystal Hinshaw, 10, the youngest competitor.
Hampton's Gigi Blunt, the top female finisher and sixth overall in 36:50, used to run, but after taking a class at the Newport New YMCA, she became hooked on walking and rates it harder than running. She says the focus on what your feet, legs and knees are doing, coupled with how you must manipulate your upper body, require intense concentration. ``It takes a lot of patience,'' she said.
Cathy Short, who drove down from Tappahannock in time for the 9 a.m. start and had to be back for a 1 p.m. wedding, competes, she says, ``just to have a very good walk. And you feel great afterward.'' by CNB