At the race start, the temperature was about 15°C. By the end, it had climbed to about 23°C. Keeping cool at this level of exertion is not easy (average time of 5 minutes per kilometre, 8 minutes per mile)
| Men's 50km Race Walk | Day 9 - Official Results |
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Walking fast A refreshing mist of water is a prelude to the water stations ahead. There are 17 tables: ESP - Spain, FRA - France, ITA - Italy, LAT - Latvia, MEX - Mexico, POL - Poland, RUS - Russia, CAN;CZE - Canada; Czech Republic, DEN;GER - Denmark; Germany, GRE;HUN - Greece; Hungary, IRL;JPN - Ireland; Japan, KAZ;LTU - Kazakhstan; Lithuania, NOR;NZL - Norway; New Zealand, POR;SVK - Portugal; Slovak Republic, SWE;USA - Sweden; United States of America, YUG - Yugoslavia. 16th: 502 Spirídon Kastánis GRE |
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Brrrrrr! In addition, chilled water is available for drinking but it's also used for cooling off. Poured on the head, torso and legs, the cold water made some walkers shiver and shudder audibly.Left: 1st: 891 Robert Korzeniowski POL 30th: 718 Ugis Bruvelis of Latvia LAT Right: 19th: 153 Tim Berrett CAN |
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Some if not all of the walkers use personal bottles containing special concoctions or even soft drink (i.e. cola). Left: 3rd: 786 Edgar Hernandez MEX Right: 26th: 1064 Fredrik Svensson SWE showing his double bottle technique. When finished, the bottles are tossed to the ground. Personal bottles are retrieved by a volunteer course marshal and returned to the coach/trainer. |
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In the vicinity of the water stations: René Piller (left) broke form and walked (normally) for several metres as Spirídon Kastánis (right) overtakes him. 1050 Matej Spišiak of Slovak Republic SVK gave up, left the course and went down the sidewalk; another stopped due to fatigue or cramps. |
