MIND SET WIN

“When people hear the speeds, their minds are just blown.” Tom Bosworth is explaining his response to those who mock his walk. Hips wiggling, arms pumping, he stands out in a (moving) crowd. But his technique is focused on one thing: speed. It’s remarkably efficient, too: the 33-year-old from Sevenoaks, Kent, holds the world record for the fastest mile walked – five minutes and 31 seconds, set at the London Stadium in 2017. To put it into perspective, a sub20-minute 5K requires an average time of six minutes and 26 seconds per mile.

Although Bosworth hung up his competitive walking shoes in August last year, he’s the UK’s most decorated racewalker of the modern era.

Professional races range from 3km to 100km in distance, and competitors must follow two main rules: the leading leg must remain straight until the body passes over it, and one foot must be in contact with the ground at all times. Judges scrutinise technique, and competitors receive a yellow card if either rule is broken. Get three in a race and you’re disqualified.

Bosworth believes this adds jeopardy and ups the stakes when compared with other endurance sports. “People might say, ‘I don’t want to watch a marathon, it’s two and a half hours – that’s boring,’” he says. “Switch over to racewalking. It’s an hour and 20 minutes, and there could be multiple changes at the front, even in the last few laps.”

While he concedes that the technique is, at first, an “incredibly difficult, almost uncomfortable action to make”, racewalking is one of the most accessible and low-impact ways to get in shape, says Bosworth: “It’s a full-body workout. Your core and glutes work so hard to maintain the technique over the distance, so it can get you super-fit.”

Straight talking

“People worry about having both feet off the ground, but that’s only when you’re going at elite-level speeds,” Bosworth says. “The hardest bit is the straight leg – not bending your knee feels counterproductive and your body won’t want to do it, especially if you’ve run before.” Perfecting your foot strike is the easiest remedy for this: “By landing on your heel and pulling up your toes, you naturally straighten your leg.” This also causes a chain reaction in your hips, setting off that well-known wiggle.

Hold the line

As your straight leg passes beneath you, supercharge each step by keeping your foot on the floor as long as possible. “It’s vital to the technique [and rules] and gives you a push-off for speed.” Bosworth also tells beginners to imagine they’re walking a tightrope, to reduce side-to-side movement.

Loosey goosey

While your lower half is about rigidity, up top should remain relaxed. With your arms bent 90° at the elbow, pumping from the hips, your torso stays upright, head facing straight ahead. “If your head’s bobbing up and down, you’re probably starting to fatigue, or your technique’s not that strong – you’re not going in enough of a forward direction.”

Firm foundations

“Landing with a straight leg puts a lot of torque through your hamstrings, lower back and core, so you have to be very strong,” says Bosworth. His secret strength weapon?

“I got two of my British records [in 2020] after a winter spent doing Pilates every morning.”

Three rounds of a four-minute plank and side-plank routine were all it took to “transform” him and elevate his performances to previously unseen heights.

Find your flow

You might be tempted to start slowly, but Bosworth believes this isn’t the best approach.

“Do drills at a normal walking pace and [you’ll find your] rhythm,” he says. And don’t get disheartened if you fail to nail it first time: “[I’ve seen] elite runners give it a go and they’re in complete agony for 50 metres, let alone 20 kilometres, because the technique is so difficult.” tombosworth.com