For many years, I have thought about how you could put on a walking race for all walkers--not just race walkers. I recently "discovered" such a race that has escaped my notice for four years. And what an event it seems to be!
 
According to their home page, the New Albany Walking Classic 10K, now in its 5th year, "has become the largest walking-only race in the United States." The New Albany, Ohio, event had 763 finishers in 2005, 1459 in 2006, 2056 in 2007, 2000 in 2008, and will be limited to 4,000 participants in 2009. On their Event Information page, they offer the following description.
 
"Traditionally, races throughout the United States have been for runners or if a walking race, for those who are skilled to compete in judged racewalking events. Occasionally, races for runners would include divisions for walkers or perhaps there would be walk-a-thons whose sole purpose is fundraising. The New Albany Walking Classic was initiated with the same goal as a running race – to provide an opportunity for individuals to compete against others and to do so within a variety of age groups and abilities. However, the Classic is meant to be even more than a race. It is an event in which individuals have the opportunity to promote their health through walking and to continue to do so after the event. The Classic also seeks to elevate the status of walking and provide the opportunity for individuals to enter an event that provides a comfort level that may not be found when participating with runners."
 
Their Web site is very professional and well thought out. I suspect they will have a very bright future. When you look at the results of the 2008 event, the distribution of finish times for the 2000 participants offers an interesting insight into who participated in the race. First of all, 79% were women. Second, while some very good race walkers were near the front, the vast majority of the participants appear not to have been race walkers.
 
The distribution of finish times is shown at right, and the following statistics apply.
 
For women:
  first place - 1:03:05 (10:09 pace)
  median time - 1:41:00 (16:16 pace)
For men:
  first place - 0:45:04 (7:15 pace)
  median time - 1:37:00 (15:37 pace)
 
Most, if not all, walkers finish in within 2½ hours.
 
One thing surprises me about the event. There is no mention of rules or monitors (though they do talk about volunteers out on the course). I suspect they get an occasional runner (or, at least, a few walkers who, in their desire to "win," break into a run at some point in the race). While I assume that such people are disqualified if caught, it apparently is not a major problem in this event.
 
I look forward to watching this event grow as they learn to manage larger crowds. It seems to me that such events could become quite popular in the future.