to share over US$200,000 of prize money. The series of televised events takes place in several countries each year including Mexico, Spain, Russia and China. Age Groups USA Track & Field offers Racewalking at the Youth, Open, All-Comers, and Masters levels. High School: Racewalking is sometimes included in high school indoor and outdoor track meets, the rules often more relaxed. The distances walked tend to be relatively short, with the 1500 m being the most commonly held event. Racing also occurs at 3 km, 5 km and 10 km, with records kept and annual rankings published. As an individual pursuit While participating in races essentially defines race walking, it can be practised by individuals for their own benefit, much like joggers not taking part in racing. One former jogger has written about injuries sustained while running, recommending race walking, which is much easier on the joints, instead. Requiring to have one foot in contact with the ground at all times reduces the impacts on ankles, knees and hips which lead to running injuries. Top performers Men 20 km 1. not ratified by IAAF because it didn’t fulfil the criteria of having the required three international judges present. 50 km Women 20 km As of June 2019 1. These times were achieved without the presence of international judges to officiate the competition or post-race doping tests, thus making them invalid for world record status. However, they are accepted as personal best marks for those athletes. 50 km The women's 50 km walk is a new event, having been controversially added to the World Athletics Championships for the first time in 2017. As of May 2019: In popular culture Racewalking is sometimes derided as a contrived or "artificial" sport. In 1992, noted sportscaster and longtime Olympic commentator Bob Costas compared it to "a contest to see who can whisper the loudest". In Malcolm in the Middle season 4 episode "Malcolm Holds His Tongue", Hal gets into the sport and exposes his local park rival as 'nothing but a common jogger' by proving that both of his feet leave the ground at once every fourth step. In the 1966 film Walk, Don't Run, Jim Hutton plays a racewalker competing in the Tokyo Olympics. Cary Grant and Samantha Eggar co-star. In the 2021 film Queenpins, actress Kristen Bell plays a 3-time gold medal Olympic racewalker and extreme couponer. See also Power walking References External