The rules are whether it is perceptible to the human eye of the judges on site. If you watch them over a big screen video in slow-mo it's clear that all of them have periods with neither foot making contact with the ground. The sports federations keep having to tell people at home to stop calling in to get people disqualified
In Speed Walking competitions it is illegal to have both feet off the ground at the same time. At that point it is considered running. The lady in Blue and Yellow is doing just that for consecutive steps.
Skills exist for a reason. "Do the fastest HARD thing" requires an athlete to push themselves more than "do the fastest thing". Sauce: Long distance swimmer in high school and college, regularly did 40-100km "races". It's literally just you in the water swimming laps for hours on end. Nobody needs to see that, even if it IS incredibly hard, there's no drama or entertainment unless someone taps out.
"Just do the fastest thing." Most sports are NOT this. e.g. (1) every motorsport category that isn't about setting straight-line speed records. e.g. (2) you can't ride a recumbent in most cycle races. If you could, lots of races would be over in about 2/3 of the current time.
Motorsports dictate a sanctioned formula for the equipment, which is like saying ‘you cant have a rocket powered pogo stick in pole vaulting’. Race walking is different, like swimming back stroke - which just a worse way of resolving the task of being fast in water. Also, im not saying all other sports are good.
They're endurance runners, which favours efficiency over bulk/strength. Larger muscles and/or more body fat increases body mass, requiring more energy to move, therefore decreasing efficiency.
The Olympics is on every 4 years. Most of us have seen at least 5 go by. It's not that hard to remember one of the few rules walking has, which is one foot must stay in contact with the ground.
The winner was running? Her front foot is clearly not in contact with the ground, it's moving forward at least a foot length after the rear foot has left the ground.
Every time this gets posted on Reddit, everyone starts posting clips where literally everyone is violating the rules. It's such a stupid "sport" considering the very few rules aren't ever enforced.
All I'm gathering from this "to the naked eye" debate is that the real trick is to just learn how to run so fast your legs appear to just be a wheel constantly in contact with the ground like Sonic.
Race walking rules state that it only counts if the "loss of contact" can be perceived by the naked eye. The other rule that results in the weird way the athletes move is that that legs must be straight from initial ground contact until the body passes over it.
Chess boxing is a fun casual variant, I don’t think anyone treats it like a serious sport. Unlike race walking which is, like, in the Olympics and everything.
You are allowed to have both feet off the ground in competitive walking. Only for a fraction of a second, but it's not a hard and fast rule that one must be in contact with the ground.
It literally isn't when it comes to competition walking. In competition walking, both feet are allowed to leave the ground, as long as it's only momentarily. In other words, they're not going to go in with a slow mo camera, and spot the point where both feet are off the ground, but if you're doing it obviously, and consistently, they're gonna kick you out.
Is this supposed to be walking? That sport that would cease to exist if the rules were actually enforced (yes, I know they've added all kinds of patches like "not visible to he human eye", but it's DEFINITELY still visible to the human eye).
Yup. It is judged by gut feel and tradition. The actual rules are not what they enforce. The "correct form" has a look and feel to it, and if you deviate from that, you get a warning / disqualification. Whether you actually lift your feet off the ground or straighten your knees is only incidentally related.
Every sport has arbitrary limitations. E.g. in high jump you have to jump off with a single foot. In the triple jump, the first jump must be a hop (jump and land on the same foot), and so on. Walking is distinct from running, and if you want it to be a competition you must have strict definitions that sets it apart. The inefficiency is not an argument against it. The arbitrariness of the enforcement of those rules could be a good one.
xo66nt
honestly though, race walking?
throwaway12345432
Premature celebration sucks. Just ask any guy.
NomadUniverse
The way they're moving this looks like a walking race. In which case disqualify both of them.
PauliePlaysPoorly
Blue and yellow is running not walking. Should be disqualified.
Youhavinagiraffe
The rules are whether it is perceptible to the human eye of the judges on site. If you watch them over a big screen video in slow-mo it's clear that all of them have periods with neither foot making contact with the ground. The sports federations keep having to tell people at home to stop calling in to get people disqualified
HomeyJSimpson
I heard this sport was invented by Christopher Walken
2B4UALL
Here’s some context
https://time.com/6986914/race-walker-laura-garcia-caro-celebrates-prematurely-overtaken-finish-line/
enkrypt3d
why are they moving like that?
chatterer
I could watch premature celebration videos all day long.
WeirdandOdd
Lonilessliker
What a stupid "sport"
CutleryPo
Blue literally ran past the other person.
ShiverMeeTimberz
In Speed Walking competitions it is illegal to have both feet off the ground at the same time. At that point it is considered running. The lady in Blue and Yellow is doing just that for consecutive steps.
tollgret
My hips hurt just watching this
FuzzyMedic
Walk, walker!
Grogu007
The look
jeanetseschats
Anorexia run or what !
NomadUniverse
Get to their level and see how much body fat you retain.
What a stupid comment.
MadJuansReturn
Hmffff
The face expressions are just perfect https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJldnRiNDM4d3U3OGh5c2hud282dXB2d21kOThpeDg0bXFhbnUwOGVzbiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/ZqlvCTNHpqrio/200w.mp4
ChewyTheWookie
Scrolled down to look for this
blissblush
What even actually is this and where can I see it
WhiteTexan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-AHk19aU24
marsilies
It's from an episode of Malcom in the Middle. One of the characters is the dad Hal, played by Bryan Cranston, who's always doing something absurd.
magicbryanconnolly
Lifting DQ
DeityFalkor
Is it just me, or is there something oddly seductive about that gait.
PFMAz
It's just you
DeityFalkor
I am ok with that.
peterbozeman
Slava Ukraini!
Whatdoyousaytoanicecupoftea
Walker!
thrashingcows
JimmyWalkerTexasRanger
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1cWtmbXJ4eXppN2w1eTk2M2N6aHFtZnRsbnA5dmRicHpiNGk1ZHMwNCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/AmDzMmCJZABsk/200w.gif
thrashingcows
Hyzenthlay021
Hotsauceman
She probably whispered by
InfocalypseRising
Hot dickings! He's just passin' em out!
seenunseen
Luvlyquants
Inmate45
Holy shit, a Dr Tran reference? I thought I was the only person who ever watched those.
Boxingjedi
huffnpuff72
Race walking is pretty dumb. Humans are built to walk, and when you get fast, you run. Forcing this unnatural action cannot be good..
maststick
Look up trotting races for horses, same shit just with animal cruelty
afterdarkart
They way they move, their build, their size; everything about them seems unnatural and horribly bad for their lives past like, 38.
yrypics
Imagine horse racing where they could only canter, never gallop.
xo66nt
i agree 100% I also dont understand why we have competitive breaststroke or butterfly. Just do the fastest thing.
BananaForScaIe
Skills exist for a reason. "Do the fastest HARD thing" requires an athlete to push themselves more than "do the fastest thing". Sauce: Long distance swimmer in high school and college, regularly did 40-100km "races". It's literally just you in the water swimming laps for hours on end. Nobody needs to see that, even if it IS incredibly hard, there's no drama or entertainment unless someone taps out.
BarryTheCyborg
Different muscle groups at work. It's why there are different lifting events instead of just squats.
hollowboy
"Just do the fastest thing." Most sports are NOT this. e.g. (1) every motorsport category that isn't about setting straight-line speed records. e.g. (2) you can't ride a recumbent in most cycle races. If you could, lots of races would be over in about 2/3 of the current time.
NSFWfrontpage2
*whoosh*
xo66nt
Motorsports dictate a sanctioned formula for the equipment, which is like saying ‘you cant have a rocket powered pogo stick in pole vaulting’.
Race walking is different, like swimming back stroke - which just a worse way of resolving the task of being fast in water.
Also, im not saying all other sports are good.
PaulHavingABall
I think they were being sarcastic
MrKNRJ
nothing but skin and bones, that can't be great for long term health
somerandomusernamebecauseididntlikemyoldone
the movement I think is what doesn't look good for long term health. very unnatural
heyletsbefriends
its called "being fit", "in good shape" and "athletic" and is generally considered to be very good for one's health
Cilvaa
They're endurance runners, which favours efficiency over bulk/strength. Larger muscles and/or more body fat increases body mass, requiring more energy to move, therefore decreasing efficiency.
hollowboy
Yeah, totally unnatural, absolutely a modern anomaly.
astromoondoggie
There’s a surprising number of people around here who know the rules to this event
NomadUniverse
The Olympics is on every 4 years. Most of us have seen at least 5 go by. It's not that hard to remember one of the few rules walking has, which is one foot must stay in contact with the ground.
somerandomusernamebecauseididntlikemyoldone
probably due to movies, sitcoms, and silly videos more than interest in the sport
benderfreak
There is an episode in "Malcolm in the middle" about it.
Wikitoria
The winner was running?
Her front foot is clearly not in contact with the ground, it's moving forward at least a foot length after the rear foot has left the ground.
2B4UALL
And the other girl was clearly walking till the end
Wikitoria
She was robbed but retained her honor.
heyletsbefriends
both are running
PonyMadness
Every time this gets posted on Reddit, everyone starts posting clips where literally everyone is violating the rules. It's such a stupid "sport" considering the very few rules aren't ever enforced.
CrimeThinker
All I'm gathering from this "to the naked eye" debate is that the real trick is to just learn how to run so fast your legs appear to just be a wheel constantly in contact with the ground like Sonic.
Cataleast
THIS is the kind of innovation the world of race walking needs!
BFiNN06
She was jogging at the end for sure
wikkit
They all run, the entire "sport" is a scam. It's run-but-try-to-make-it-look-stilted.
NomadUniverse
They both were. Disqualify both.
Cataleast
Race walking rules state that it only counts if the "loss of contact" can be perceived by the naked eye. The other rule that results in the weird way the athletes move is that that legs must be straight from initial ground contact until the body passes over it.
HapilyDamaged
dumbest sport ever. i think... there was chess boxing... and slap fights which is just turn based boxing.
mynamespaul
Chess boxing is a fun casual variant, I don’t think anyone treats it like a serious sport. Unlike race walking which is, like, in the Olympics and everything.
Beelsebooob
You are allowed to have both feet off the ground in competitive walking. Only for a fraction of a second, but it's not a hard and fast rule that one must be in contact with the ground.
wikkit
It is the entire difference between running and walking. That is race "walking", not walking.
Beelsebooob
It literally isn't when it comes to competition walking. In competition walking, both feet are allowed to leave the ground, as long as it's only momentarily. In other words, they're not going to go in with a slow mo camera, and spot the point where both feet are off the ground, but if you're doing it obviously, and consistently, they're gonna kick you out.
wikkit
ITYM "walking".
PowerPedant
Is this supposed to be walking? That sport that would cease to exist if the rules were actually enforced (yes, I know they've added all kinds of patches like "not visible to he human eye", but it's DEFINITELY still visible to the human eye).
Higure
Yup. It is judged by gut feel and tradition. The actual rules are not what they enforce. The "correct form" has a look and feel to it, and if you deviate from that, you get a warning / disqualification. Whether you actually lift your feet off the ground or straighten your knees is only incidentally related.
jesuisgur
Well, it's ceasing to exist. It won't be at the olympics anymore. About time to, it looks so ridiculous and inefficient.
Fanner50
Wrong
For 2028, both men and women will have a half- marathon event.
https://la28.org/en/games-plan/olympics/athletics.html
Higure
Every sport has arbitrary limitations. E.g. in high jump you have to jump off with a single foot. In the triple jump, the first jump must be a hop (jump and land on the same foot), and so on. Walking is distinct from running, and if you want it to be a competition you must have strict definitions that sets it apart. The inefficiency is not an argument against it. The arbitrariness of the enforcement of those rules could be a good one.
mikeatike
But the "speed walking" or whatever its called is more arbitrary than gymnastics and figure skating.