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Competitive walking appeared in England by the early 17th century as aristocrats wagered over whose footman was fastest. With sizable sums at stake, noblemen sought footmen with speed and stamina. The sport had few rules. Competitors were expected to use a "fair heel and toe" technique, trotting as necessary to ward off cramps, but not running.
Competition between footmen gave way, during the second half of the 18th century, to men racing against time over long distances. “Pedestrians" (as the walkers were called) could win very large fees, and side bets were common. One of the more popular goals involved covering at least 100 miles in less than 24 hours.
In the early 1800s, head-to-head races returned, and pedestrianism spread to America. Town-to-town races, supported by gambling, became quite popular. Female pedestrians appeared in the late 1800s. Excesses in wagering, however, eventually encouraged running -- and professional pedestrianism faded away.
In the 1880s, amateur "racewalking" emerged at private sporting clubs in large cities. It was introduced into the Olympics in 1908 for men (and in 1992 for women). The Olympics now include racewalks of I0k for women, and 20k and 50k for men. (At 31 miles, the men's 50k racewalk is the longest Olympic footrace.)
Racewalking style has evolved from one of wildly gyrating hips (the fodder of many laughs) to one of fluid movement that directs almost all energy into forward motion. Top racewalking form today is as smooth as top running form.
Racewalking is now very popular in Europe, Russia, China, Australia and Mexico (where the 1993 World Cup Championship reportedly drew 40,000 spectators). In the United States, it is finally gaining popularity as more people see walking as a legitimate, relatively injury-free vehicle to fitness at any level. Today, there are thousands of competitive racewalkers in the United States -- and the number is growing rapidly.
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