FRONT COVER: The start of the London Open Walks 2010 on January 31st. PHOTO: by Mark Easton Editorial It looks like 2010 is going to be a renaissance year for race walking. Athletes have shown that they have been training hard over the winter, and many people have set themselves targets for the coming year, whether they be to do well in certain races, achieve selection, improve PB’s, or just to finally beat a close rival. The public interest in race walking is also increasing, and people’s general perception of the event is now more serious and less mocking. The number of people entering some races is increasing. Old faces are re-appearing, and new faces are showing signs of rapid improvement. Who knows, perhaps more walkers not seen for a few years will be tempted to come back and have a go… There are more events to choose from this year, and some events are being tweaked to make them more appealing. Also, huge city walks look set to return, as more people try to get active, without wishing to become runners. Records will fall this year, and the British team are likely to do better than they have for many years. Things are definitely looking up! P.S. Although RWR is being published every month, the calendar month on the cover does not currently match when the magazine actually comes out - thank you to everyone who has repeatedly pointed this out to me! There is a seven week gap that has built up between ‘when it should’ and ‘when it does’ and this will now be reducing. I’ve been focusing on increasing the quality and size of the magazine at the cost of the schedule. You will all be happy to know that the quality will get even get better over the coming months, as we get back on schedule. This special 800th issue at 40 pages is now double the size it was this time last year. Regular issues are 28 pages, but expect a bumper sized colourful issue 801 very soon… Magazine info Race Walking Record (founded 1941) is the international magazine for the sport of walking and walking events, published each and every month. Issue: 800 - January 2010 (issued 10/3/2010). Subscriptions: UK £30, International £40, PDF by email £20. Advertisements: Full page £40, Half page £20. Club advertisements: Full page £20, Half page £10. Editor: John Constandinou, 60 Claverdon Drive, Birmingham B43 5HP. Website: www.racewalkingrecord.net Contributors: Pat Reeves, Phil Howell, Mark Easton, Ron Wallwork, Dave Ainsworth, Ron Penfold, Peter Hannell, Rob Elliott John Hall, Ray Sharp. Please post all news, results, announcements, letters, photos and articles to me or email them to [email protected] RACE WALKING ASSOCIATION (FOUNDED 1907) PRESENTS THE NATIONAL 50 KM ROAD WALK (Including RWA and UK Championships) 11:00 a.m. Sunday 25th April 2010 RWA Permit 17/09/120 Race Circuit is in Ropner Park, Stockton-on-Tees The first class changing and presentation facilities are at; Fitness First, Yarm Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 3SF Entries close on Saturday 17 April - Late entries or entries without fees or forms will not be accepted - Your entry will be acknowledged by 2nd class post. For further details about the event contact Ken Munro, telephone No: 01670 732426 before 21:00 hours. The Northern 50km Championship will be held in conjunction with this event. Walkers who wish to enter MUST enter the National 50km and then submit an entry to Mick Hague on the correct form. Further details are available from Russ Jackson on 01673 861208. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Entry Form: National 50km Walk Championships - Male and Female First Name________________________ Age__________________ Surname__________________________ Tel__________________ Address________________________________________________ Affiliated Club______________________ UKA Reg No___________ Entering Northern Championships? ___Yes__/__No___ Individual Entries £10.00 There are no team fees - Cheques to: Ken Munro, 8 Coomside, Cramlington, Northumberland, NE23 6HW I am an amateur as defined by the rules of UK Athletics. I agree that the race organisers will not be held responsible for any loss, injury or illness however caused. Signed______ Date______ Please Note: Whilst the race is on helpers must not use mobile phones, walkie talkies are not to be used in anyway to assist a competitor who is walking. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A copy of this form can be downloaded from RacewalkUK.com, or just copy the details and post them. Spanish Racewalker Admits Contents Doping Possession, Denies Use 2 - Editorial/Magazine info Spanish 20km walker Francisco 4 - News "Paquillo" Fernandez has informed 7 - Announcements sports authorities and police that he 11 - YAG Grand Prix has been in possession of a banned 13 - Features substance. In a press conference 13 - Dreaming of Glory at 50 shown on Spanish television, 18 - Nutrition Spanish 20km walker Francisco 19 - Technique "Paquillo" Fernandez admitted that 22 - Special Features he has informed sports authorities 28 - Results and Reports and police that he has been in 36 - Archived Results possession of a banned substance. 37 - 200 Club 38 - Letters The 2004 Olympic silver medallist 39 - Fixtures said he had obtained the substance with a view to using it in 2010, News although "fortunately, these products were never used." The substance is reported to be EPO. Recent RWA Decision It has been unanimously agreed to present the ‘John Keown Award’ to Derek Hayward in recognition of his services to race walking through his work with the English Schools Athletics Association. Annual Trophies for 2009 The annual trophies have been awarded to the following people: Fernandez at his press conference Edgar Horton Cup: Sandra Brown, Spain's Civil Guard investigated for her performance in the National Fernandez in November as part of Long-Distance Championship; Operation Grial, which saw 11 people arrested in November International Trophy: Johanna Jackson, including a former doctor. When for her winning performance at Lugano; Fernandez made his confession to the authorities he was not facing any Lancashire Trophy: Johanna Jackson disciplinary action. The Andalusian athlete ended his statement by Ken Smith Memorial Trophy: Mark apologizing to his sponsors and O’Kane, for his performance at Lugano fans. Fernandez has been suspended by the 7th March - EAA Grand Prix Lugano Spanish Athletics Federation for "his Senior Men and Women 20km, admission of possessing a banned Junior Men and Women 10km substance" but still hopes to compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games. 20th June - EAA Grand Prix TO BE CONFIRMED Senior Men and Barcelona 2010 - 20th European Women 20km Road, U23/U20 Men Athletics Championships and Women 10000m track 26th July - 1st August 11th April - UK/EA/RWA 20 km For the first time in the championships’ Champs and YAG Champs, Victoria history, the five road events (two Park, London marathons and three race walking events) will take place on a city circuit 11th September - UK/EA/RWA in the city centre. This initiative aims to 10km Championships and Challenge bring Barcelona 2010 closer to citizens final, Coventry. and to give athletes the support from their fans, who will be closer to them. It New Junior World Best has been decided that the athletes will Performance walk and run through the heart of the city of Barcelona, at the bottom of the Anna Lukyanova set a world junior hilly Montjuic mountain. The wish of the best indoors for the 5000m Walk City and the Organising Committee is when the 18-year-old produced a that it should take the athletes and the 2010 world-leading mark of 20:44.25 crowd to the most symbolic places of at the Russian Students the city. Championships in Volgograd on 24th February. UK Athletics Selection Policy Junior indoor world records are not To maintain the momentum gained at officially recognised but the previous the World Championships we will use best on record was a hand-timed the same selection standards that were 21:30.1 by another Russian Vera used in Berlin as we expect these to be Sokolova back in 2005. close to the standards for the 2012 Olympics. Just behind Lukyanova in second place, after a nail-biting race for the UKA Standards line, was the 2009 World Youth 20k Men - 1:22:30 (B: 1:24:20) Championships gold medallist 20k Women - 1:31:15 (B: 1:33:30 ) Yelena Lashmanova. 50k Men - 3:55:00 (B: 3:58:00) Lashmanova, still 17, was also well England Athletics Internationals inside the old best, and also improved on her outdoor personal England Athletics will again support best over the same distance by more Race walking events in 2010 via a than a minute, when she clocked number of events listed below; 20:44.37. Racewalker honoured on Top 10 He said: “We hope to get 10,000 Athletes of the Decade walking, if each raised £25 that’s £250,000.” Track & Field News magazine in the USA (founded 1948) in its recent £65 million Walking Man ‘Athletes of the Decade’ issue summing up the events of 2000-2009, honoured A LIFE-SIZE bronze sculpture Robert Korzeniowski by selecting him depicting the figure of a man by 5th overall on their list of the decade's Alberto Giacometti was recently sold top men, ahead of numerous notables at auction for the world record price of all other athletics disciplines. of £65,001,250. Track & Field News are not known for The sculpture “Walking Man” or their support of racewalking, and this is “L'Homme qui marche” took just a breakthrough in a publication that in eight minutes for bids to reach the past years has had perhaps a hesitant hammer price after opening at £12 attitude about the sport. million at Sotheby's in London.