April 26th, 2008, start of 3K/5K racewalk at West Seattle stadium. A nice day and fast times. Also had a well attended 10K.

Club Northwest Racewalking - Home Page

Racewalking is for everyone. Go to the links below and see how racewalking can help with your fitness and competition goals.

1. Fitness walkers and walking for weight loss
2. Cross-training for runners
3. Racewalking for competition
4. Youth athletes

Our "Ask me about racewalking" hats are in and great to wear during our winter season. These are for our active walkers and were paid for out of leftover Pacific Pacer funds to help promote racewalking. I'll have these at our SSR races or if you want one at another time, contact me and I'll mail one out or hook up to deliver one. Let's double our number of active racewalkers in 2013!

Here is the starting line at the Regional Hour walk in Banks, Oregon, on Oct 21st, 2012. 45 degrees at the start so we are bundled up.

Club Northwest Racewalking

We are now integrated into Club Northwest and race under their banner. They are club number 36-0116 for your USATF registrations.

Here is the CNW membership link. Club Northwest Cost is $50 annually and you get a nice navy blue performance fabric CNW shirt the first time you join. There are also event discounts, Northwest Runner subscriptions, and other benefits of membership. The distinctive orange singlet we see at races must be purchased separately but is good quality and will last a long time. See me in the front row above in the new singlet. Steve in the back has an old model and lighter, faded color.

I'll continue to publish the Website, and hold the monthly informal races and clinic at Green Lake. I'll also continue to sit on the PNTF board as the racewalk chair and also attend CNW racewalk team meetings as needed to help organize our events and races.

See our schedule page for current and ongoing events and the results page for past events.

If you have news you want to share or need more information, email me at mystanski@comcast.net. See your articles on the web. To contact me by phone, my number is 206-327-9105.

The question of racewalking shoes always comes up at our races. Currently we like: (There are no current racewalk shoes on the market so we use running racing flats and lightweight trainers. Here are some options below. I would also check ebay under "racing flats" for better prices. I've found a variety of appropriate shoes there.) Remember, since you are not getting off the ground in racewalking, you do not need as much cushioning as running shoes. You want a better "feel for the road" to get the rolling motion of racewalking.

Things to look for are: low profile sole (thin), low heel, (we don't need much cushioning to walk), flexible toe area (most racing flats will have this) and full, flat sole, without much cutout or concave area. See my notes my glue gun solution to the concave area if need. Most local running stores will have several models under racing flats, or lightweight performance headings. You want to pick them up and feel the light weight, plus bend the toe upward to be sure that it is flexible. Some thinner soles are still fairly stiff. Heel should have some stiffness, this is called the heel counter, to provide support there. A few models make this flexible to save weight but I've found this is not good for racewalking where you walk more on the outside of the foot than running.

Locally I've had good luck at DSW shoes where they have a bigger stock of running shoes lately and I have always been able to find a pair that meet the above requirements at a decent price. One was a New Balance, and other a Keen brand with curvy lacing but are very lightweight and flexible and feel good, and, both were about $60. They also have a good sale rack where I've found some good bargains. Worth a check now and then.

I've found that some racing flats and some cross country running shoes have too much of a cutout under the arch to save weight but I can fix that with a little glue from a hot glue gun or Shoe Goo to build up the low spots to get a smoother rolling motion throughout the stride. Can run two beads along the inside and outside edge of the sole, in the middle cut-out portion and provides the good smooth area needed.

If you have other recommendations, pass them along to put on our site.

Here are some links to other racewalking and track and field sites:

USA Track and Field (USATF)
Pacific Northwest Track and Field Assoc. (PNTF)
Club Northwest, Seattle

Local

1. Oregon racewalkers at Racewalkers Northwest site includes events and schedules. www.rwnw.org

Informational

1. www.racewalk.com offers over 2,000 pages of information on racewalking and events. The best resource on the internet.
2. www.racewalking.org is Dave McGovern’s information packed site with news, calendars, and events.
3. www.eracewalk.com is the North American Racewalking Foundation and Southern California racewalk info site.
4. www.racewalkclinic.com provides resources and racewalk clinic schedules.
5. www.the-sports-arena.com/Walking/Racewalking.html provides racewalk schedules and result links.
6. www.boomerwalk.com racewalking info geared toward older racewalkers.
7. www.walking-canes.net/racewalking.html a walking gear store with good links to many racewalking sites.
8. S. Texas Walking Club video This is a video of kids learning to racewalk and stretches and drills. Very quick on some items so will want to pause the video at times but it's fun for kids for sure and entertaining.

____________________________________________________________________

MOURNING - Bev LaVeck-McCall 1936-2011 In Memoriam Page____________________________________________________________________

Stan Chraminski, Webmaster

Updated 5-11-2013