In spite of what may spring to mind, this has nothing to do with getting out of breath or breaking into a heavy sweat. The difference becomes important in racing.
Running a race is straightforward enough. You try to make your body move as fast and as efficiently as you can. Walking is not quite as easy to define. Most of us walk as comfortably as we can and do not really think what we are doing. competitors in race walking have to be more careful. According to international rules, you have to keep unbroken contact with the ground. That is to say, the foot moving forward must touch the ground before the rear foot leaves the ground. There is another rule as well. This states that during each step, when a foot is on the ground, the leg has to be straight. In other words, you cannot bend your knee. Watch race walkers and you will see that they maintain their speed by making the fullest use of the mobility in their hips. They may not walk like we do down the street, but then they move along a lot faster.
Picture Credit : Google
