MIKE PANETTA isn't the typical racewalker — he's not drawn to the sport for its weight-loss potential, cardio-boosting powers or gentle way with the joints. Instead, D.C.'s shadow representative was searching for something "quirky" to bring attention to the city's lack of voting rights.
Even if you've never actually seen it covered on TV, racewalking is an Olympic event. That's what intrigued Panetta, who also happens to be the chairman of the D.C. Olympic Committee (Dcolympicteam.com). Fellow non-states Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands all field their own teams for the Olympic Games. Panetta's position is if D.C. doesn't get a voting member of the House, it deserves a team, too.
Officially, Panetta says, that would require five of the international governing bodies for sports to recognize the District as a nationality. Unofficially, it involves gathering on the Mall, stretching, briefly discussing technique and then taking a lap around the grass.
But Panetta's learned that the publicity stunts are actually pretty good exercise. "I get more tired than if I had jogged it," he says.
That comes as no surprise to Lois Dicker, 68, who also got her start racewalking on the Mall — about 20 years ago. "This is really a very strenuous sport. When you see Olympians do almost 30 miles, it's not funny," she says.
Now Dicker co-teaches clinics through the Potomac Valley Track Club (Pvtc.org), one of the only local bodies that organizes racewalking competitions. She also walks in running races, often managing to dominate her age group without jogging a single step.
While most people know how to walk reasonably well already, there is a very specific technique needed for racewalking: One foot must be touching the ground at all times, and the leading leg must be straight when it lands. It's harder than it sounds, and since mess-ups get walkers disqualified from competition, it's critical to learn proper form.
Last Saturday, in the rain, Dicker was on the track at Langley High School giving pointers to newcomer Karen Lovelace. A veteran marathoner, Lovelace had busted her knee and gotten a "stop running" prescription from her doctor.
After taking Lovelace though a few warm-up drills — swinging her arms, swiveling her hips, tapping her feet on the ground in a "heel-toe" motion and a practice walk — Dicker declared her a natural. She didn't even complain about pain in her shins, which is where newbies usually feel the burn.
Their waistlines tend to get it next from all of that hip action they're doing. "If you think about wanting to go as fast as you can, but keeping your feet on the ground, you can do two things — move your feet faster or lengthen you stride," explains co-teacher John Gersh, 61. Wiggling those hips allows racewalkers to do the latter.
And it's part of why racewalking is so handy for slimming down. Gersh lost 70 pounds when he took up the sport 13 years ago. "My doctor says I'm fit, and I eat what I want," he boasts.
So, even if Panetta and pals don't make it to Beijing this year, they may find that their quirky sport has other benefits. And who knows? Maybe hip-wiggling is the key to scoring that vote in Congress.
WALK THE WALK?
» Your best chance of ever becoming an Olympic hopeful is with Panetta's crew. They're meeting today at 6:30 p.m. at the Mall exit of the Smithsonian Metro station. No one is too slow, and even suburbanites are invited.
» If you actually want to get good at racewalking, hoof it over to the next PVTC racewalking clinic. It's at 8 a.m. on Aug. 16 at the Langley High School (6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean) track. And it's free! Dig the sport? Stick around for the meet, which starts at 9:30 a.m. with a 3,000-meter racewalk.
Photo by Holly J. Morris/Express