Race Walking Association
Encyclopedia
The Race Walking Association (RWA) is the governing body for the sport of race walking
in England
, the Isle of Man
and the Channel Islands
. It was founded in 1907 as the Road Walking Association, and organises National Road Walking Championships and is responsible for England teams in international matches and championships. Great emphasis is placed on the development of future athletes, and the promotion of walking as a sport within the UK. It is a fully democratic body, governed by the elected Officers and the elected General Committee. Under the national organisation lie three regional bodies; Southern Area RWA, Midlands Area RWA, and Northern Area RWA, each responsible for activities in their region.
monthly since November 1941. The magazine has a worldwide distribution and has many Olympians and major organisations amongst its subscribers.
Race walking
Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. It was founded in 1907 as the Road Walking Association, and organises National Road Walking Championships and is responsible for England teams in international matches and championships. Great emphasis is placed on the development of future athletes, and the promotion of walking as a sport within the UK. It is a fully democratic body, governed by the elected Officers and the elected General Committee. Under the national organisation lie three regional bodies; Southern Area RWA, Midlands Area RWA, and Northern Area RWA, each responsible for activities in their region.
Impact of the RWA
- They promote and maintain popularity of the sport within the United Kingdom.
- They have twice successfully lobbied for the event not to be removed from the Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. - Athletes within the RWA area have won 15 Olympic medals: 6 Gold, 5 Silver, 4 Bronze.
- Athletes within the RWA area have also won 12 Commonwealth Games medals: 4 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Bronze.
- Athletes within the RWA area have set many world records.
Magazine
The RWA has published a magazine, Race Walking RecordRace Walking Record
Race Walking Record is a nonprofit magazine about the sport of race walking, and walking events, primarily aimed at a UK audience. The magazine was founded in London in 1941 by Alf McSweeney in order to keep athletes serving as soldiers in World War II informed about their sport back home...
monthly since November 1941. The magazine has a worldwide distribution and has many Olympians and major organisations amongst its subscribers.
Major Race Walking Events in the UK
- 50 km National Championships
- 20 km National Championships
- 10 km National Championships
- Long Distance National Championships (100 mile/24 hours)
- Younger Age Groups National Championships (U11/U13/U15/U17) 1 km-5 km
- Junior National Championships (U20/U23) 5k-10 km
- 10 mile National Championships
- 30 km Masters National Championships
- 20 km Masters National Championships
- 5 km Masters National Championships
- County Track and Field Championships
- Inter Area Match (North v Midlands v South)
- Inter County Championships
- McCainMcCain Foods LimitedMcCain Foods Limited is a privately owned company established in 1957 by four brothers—Harrison McCain, Wallace McCain, Robert McCain, and Andrew McCain—in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada...
UK Race Walking Challenge - AvivaAvivaAviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
5000m National Championships and World Trials - Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
(1908, 19481948 Summer OlympicsThe 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
, 20122012 Summer OlympicsThe 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
) - Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth GamesThe Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
(1970, 20022002 Commonwealth GamesThe 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
, 20142010 Commonwealth GamesThe 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
) - World Race Walking Cup (1977, 1985)
- European Cup (2007)
- Parish WalkParish WalkThe Manx Telecom Parish Walk is a walking race that takes place on the Isle of Man each year usually on the weekend nearest to the Northern Summer solstice...