How to Race - Racing Indoors

Indoor races are a great deal of fun. They also cause a great deal of pain. Most indoor races are held on tracks from 8 laps per mile to as many as a painful 11 laps per mile. The more laps, the more turns. Needless to say, all those turns really slow you down. Exacerbating the problem, many tracks are designed for runners and therefore banked. A bank is no friend to a race walker.

Not deterred yet? Still want to race indoors? Did I mention the air? As one walker at the Millrose Games recently described, “It was like my throat was bleeding.” The air indoors is incredibly dry and often irritates the throat. When I raced indoors, I always developed a nice healthy cough afterwards.

Still, with all this said, it’s a blast. Those fortunate enough to race in a forum like the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden remember it as one of the most enjoyable experiences in their race walking career. Imagine 20,000 people watching you race walk. Great fun indeed.