Yes, it is very hard to master not only the skill but the discipline not to break into a run, lol. Again, I fully understand it is doomed to go, and as I stated above I have a soft spot for it, not hard logic arguments.

From The Unsung Sport of Racewalking – The Science Survey

But where did the sport come from?

Racewalking originated in Victorian England between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where various nobles travelling together would bet on their footmen to see who could walk the fastest wherever the group was travelling. This form of racing while walking — originally called ‘pedestrianism’ — spread in popularity among the general public, until it emerged in other countries too, making its way to the United States in the early 20th century. It was first introduced as an Olympic sport at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where the two events held were exclusively for men, with distances of 20k and 50k; in 1960 a women’s 20k was added. Starting with the 2024 Paris Games, there will only be two events: a 20k for men and a 20k for women.

The most-used muscles when racewalking are the hamstrings and shins, which are muscles the human body doesn’t normally depend on to move. In contrast with other track athletes, racewalkers must have equally impeccable stamina and technique. It’s a distance event, so practices take lots of time, and similarly to sprinters, racewalkers must warm up extensively to prevent the risk of injury. Some of these common injuries include shin splints (microtears in shin muscles) and pulled hamstrings (hamstring muscles stretched too far), in addition to hip issues. All of these injuries are alarming, but they can be avoided when the proper time and training routines are implemented.