More athletes and officials are turning out to support racewalking.
By Justin Pelletier
Staff Writer

To say racewalking was almost stripped from high school track and field competition this year is a bit of a stretch. The vote by the Maine Principal’s Association last year was much more of a victory for the racewalk than most people would have predicted.

This year, thanks to the MPA’s decision to keep the sport, there are more people involved, from judges to walkers, and there are even more standout athletes starting to make their mark at a younger age.

Greyhounds walk, too

Troy Clark is a stellar distance runner. His times in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races are some of the best in the Mountain Valley Conference, and he’s only a junior. But instead of running, the Lisbon High School track athlete would rather just walk.

“I don’t know what I would have done otherwise,” said Clark, “but I wouldn’t have stopped racing. It’s just better that I get to help out the team.”

Clark recently participated in the Penn Relays and finished the 10,000-meter racewalk with a time of 51:23.43. His time there, along with several other top finishes as a racewalker, have earned Clark the distinction of being named an All-American.

“That came after I finished in the top six at the indoor nationals at 1,600-meters,” said Clark. “It’s kind of neat, but I want to do better.”

“He’s been a natural at it right from the start,” said Lisbon coach Hank Fuller. “His mechanics have always been perfect. It was just a rare case that he was naturally good at it.”

The fact that racewalking helps him get better in other events is just a positive by-product.

“Since he’s been doing it, it’s helped him out with his distance running, too,” said Lisbon coach Dean Hall. “And the thing is, he’s gotten stronger at it over the past two years. His strides are much longer now, and the amount of ground he can cover is amazing.”

Fuller has taken on the role of racewalking coach at Lisbon and has put a lot of time and effort into helping Clark and the rest of the Lisbon racewalking crew.

“He’s been a real spark plug for these kids,” said Hall of Fuller. “He’s become almost a disciple to this sport.”

Getting better all the time

Though just a sophomore, Carly Lochala knew how important last fall’s MPA vote was. A racewalker of three years, Lochala would have competed in the event regardless of whether of not it was offered through the high school, but it wouldn’t have been as fulfilling.

“That was the only event I had qualified for states in last year,” said Lochala. “I’m so glad we were able to keep it for the high schools. It would have been unfair, I think, to eliminate one sport for some people and leave the others alone.”

Actually, Lochala is more than qualified to compete at many levels of the sport, including on the national stage.

Lochala recently took part in the Penn Relays in the 5,000-meter racewalk and finished with a time of 27:27.74, good for a sixth-place finish overall.

“I was a bit nervous, especially after the 14-hour drive to get down there,” said Lochala. “It was a nice indoor track though. We all went pretty fast down there.”

Not only is the sport helping Lochala reach her individual goals, but having an established racewalker on the team at Mt. Blue helps coach Kelley Cullenberg in terms of acquiring points in the larger meets.

Among the elite

Maine has long been recognized as a pioneering state in the sport of racewalking. Names like Ben Shorey, Adam Staier and Justin Easter are as common in national racewalking and track and field circles as they are in their hometowns.

The current crop of racewalkers is not disappointing anybody. Along with Lochala and Clark, Jasmine Brooks of Dirigo and Dan Campbell of Caribou all qualified for the Junior National Track and Field Championships to be held in conjunction with the USATF National Track and Field Championships at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. in late June. Four of the six high school walkers earned medals at the Penn relays along with three collegians (Easter, Staier and Shorey), making Maine the most decorated state in the racewalk portion of the Penn Relays.

“That MPA vote, at the time, seemed like it would be 50/50,” said Hall. “Now, with the big majority we saw combined with all of the continued success that the athletes here are having, I don’t know that we’ll have to deal with the issue much anymore. Not for a while, anyway.”