Written By Jeffrey Reed
As a former elite athlete aging into his mid-60s, I’m now limited in my daily fitness routine – arthritis and assorted sports injuries are not my friends. For many years, I have relied on walking as my main form of cardiovascular workouts. Numerous studies suggest just 30 minutes of walking each day can increase cardio fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat and boost muscle power and endurance.
There’s no denying that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport on the planet. A January report from Pickleball Canada indicated 1.54 million Canadian are playing that sport. Alas, with my aforementioned physical struggles, playing pickleball is not an option – walking at a brisk pace for at least one hour per day is now my sport.
Looking around the streets of Strathroy, and even around my rural neighbourhood, I’m not alone. So, when news broke recently that race walking had become one of the fastest growing sports, I wasn’t shocked. While race walking won’t give pickleball a run for its money, power walking, speed walking and race walking are all gaining in popularity. The latter – an Olympic sport since 1904 – is the most regulated of fast walking.
Unlike a leisurely stroll, race walking involves dynamic, purposeful movements designed to elevate your heart rate rapidly. Utilizing vigorous arm swings, hip rotation for increased stride length, and strong calf pushes to propel forward, race walkers engage their entire body in ways most traditional exercises cannot match. Race walking is, in its purest form, a competitive sport with strict rules, while speed walking or power walking are broader terms for walking fast.
While race walking’s dramatic physical movements might look amusing, Olympians who achieve a mile pace as swift as 5 minutes, 31 seconds clearly demonstrate that this is no laughing matter.
When FastWalker.com applauded the sport as one of the “fastest growing,” I made it a point to be on the lookout for fast walkers of all types. Sure enough, each day of my travels during the past week I spotted power walkers – and even some race walkers – winding their way through Middlesex County. Proponents of a number of sports claim that their sport is the “fastest growing,” but there is no denying that Forrest Gump did not have the monopoly on fast walking.
“When done correctly, you’re getting a total body workout. The arms, core, hips and legs are all activated extensively,” said FastWalker.com founder Jeremy Goldstein. “Race walking provides all the health benefits of running but significantly reduces wear and tear on your joints (found in traditional running).”
I’ll stick to my hikes through the woods, thank you. But without a doubt, race walking is no laughing matter when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle.
Award-winning writer
Jeffrey Reed has covered Middlesex County sports since 1980. He is publisher and editor of LondonOntarioSports.com. Reach him at
jeff@londonontariosports.com.
