Walking -- Fast -- Toward an Olympic Dream

NPR | By Tom Goldman

Published April 21, 2004 at 12:00 AM EDT

U.S. race walker Curt Clausen, 36, during a recent workout at the Chula Vista Marina south of San Diego, Calif. Clausen will compete for the U.S. team in the 50-kilometer walk at the Athens Olympics this summer.

This summer in Athens, Olympic competition will end, as usual, with the men's marathon, a 26-mile race many consider the most grueling event of the Games.

Race walkers, however, would disagree with that assessment. The 50-kilometer walk, in fact, is the longest foot race in the Olympics. But instead of respect, most race walkers get ridiculed for competing in what's often called a weird-looking sport.

As part of an occasional series on the upcoming Summer Games, NPR's Tom Goldman profiles Curt Clausen, America's best long-distance race walker -- an athlete who's honed his patience in a sport that pushes him to move as fast as he can without breaking into a run.

Tom Goldman

Tom Goldman is NPR's sports correspondent. His reports can be heard throughout NPR's news programming, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and on NPR.org.

See stories by Tom Goldman

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