Racewalking Is Serious Business

Of all the weird events at the Olympics coming up, our favorite is speedwalking. (It's actually called racewalking.) They look so goofy!

Anyway, apparently the training they do is Rocky IV style.

Our favorite racewalking rule:

The first dictates that the athlete's back toe cannot leave the ground until the heel of the front foot has touched. Violation of this rule is known as lifting. The second rule requires that the supporting leg must straighten from the point of contact with the ground and remain straightened until the body passes over it. These rules are judged by the human eye, which creates controversy at today's high speeds. Athletes may sometimes 'lift' for a few milliseconds per stride which can be caught on high-speed film, but such a short flight phase is undetectable to the human eye.

We wonder how one trains to be a racewalking judge. Seems potentially tedious.

Olympic Speedwalking... To The Extreeeemmmmeee!!! [Machochip]