A: How do the two events differ?
CC: Theyre entirely different races in a lot of ways, but if trained properly, the same people can do well in either. You see more 20K races because you can do them more often. But its kind of weird because the top 20K guys will all say, Someday Im going to try the 50. Its like the marathon, with your 10K guys saying, Someday Im going to try the marathon.
A: Who will be your main competition in Sydney? Any Americans?
CC: My teammate Andrew Herman is walking strong right now, but its going to take a big break-though for him to be up in the lead pack. I think hes capable of it, but he wouldnt be considered a favorite right now.
As for the top guys, last year at the World Championships, I finished fourth and there were two Russians and one Italian in front of me, so Im obviously looking at the Russians and the Italians. But the names often change—in fact, on the Russian team, the guy who finished third at the World Championships (Nikolay Matyukhin) made their Olympic team and the guy who won (German Skurygin) didnt.
They are always very competitive and theyll always have a strong team. Mexico has a couple of key athletes—Miguel Rodriguez is their top guy right now. There are a few individuals that you have to look out for, especially (Robert) Korzeniowski from Poland. Hes the defending champion and up until last year, he dominated the major events. Its such a wide-open sport and any of a number of people can win.
A: Whats it going to take for you to get the gold in Sydney?
CC: Time-wise, I think its going to take a sub-3:40, which is a tall order, but with an endurance race the weather is so critically important for speed, and I think the weather is likely to be good. That means the times are going to be in the top-10 of all time.
I just foresee those kinds of times based on early-season results and results from last year. I need to walk sub-3:40 to ensure a medal. Its going to be a challenge, but Im looking forward to it and Ill be ready. No matter what happens, I want to be competitive. I want to be in the lead pack when the moves start taking place. I want to be able to counter them and challenge for a medal. Based on last year, I know I can do it.
A: How long can someone stay competitive in this sport?
CC: Its like any endurance sport. I think you can stay competitive until your late 30s, even right up to the 40s. The big question is, can you do the amount of training required to be competitive? The top guys in the world are full-time athletes, and thats what I am now. Ive been full-time since July of 97 and thats what allowed me to move from being one of the best in the US to being one of the best in the world. Thats all I do now.
A: Talk about technique; what are the major technique rules in racewalking?
CC: There are two basic rules: Theoretically, you have to keep both feet on the ground and you cannot bend your knee until after your leg passes the support phase. The key to keeping your leg straight is a high toe plant. In other words, make sure your toe is pointed as high into the air as possible and firmly plant your heel into the ground. If you start walking this way, youll really feel it in your shins—basically, if your shins arent burning, youre doing it wrong.
A: How are walkers penalized for violating these rules?
CC: The way the penalties work is, basically, three strikes and youre out.
We race on a two- or 2 1/2-kilometer circuit right outside of the stadium. We start on the track and go and do a bunch of laps in the 2K course and there will be eight to 12 judges stationed on the course. If three of the judges agree that youve been in violation of either rule at any time during the race, then you are disqualified. It takes three separate violations from three different judges to knock you out of a race.
A.c: How frequent are these violations? Have you ever had one?
CC: Oh yeah, Ive had violations before. Ive been really fortunate lately — last year at the World Championships I made it through the race without any calls, which was nice because it allowed me to race really well without holding anything back. But the guys who finished second and third had two calls each, one away from being disqualified. The defending champion, Korzeniowski, actually got disqualified. So it happens to the best.
A: So the lesson from that for new walkers is not to be discouraged if the form doesnt come right away?
CC: Exactly. It takes time. Walking fast, whether you have the proper technique or not, is great exercise. Its a great workout. Whether youre coming to walking from running because you beat yourself up and need a break on your joints, or whether youre coming from just strolling around and want more of a cardio workout from your walks, walking fast is a great workout.
When you want to push the limit and get better results, proper technique is important. So when you go to your first judged race, dont be discouraged if you get DQd. Proper form takes time and penalties happen to even the top-level athletes.
A: So improving your technique is the way to improve your speed?
CC: For a beginner, with technique improvement youll see your times drop dramatically, which is fun. But even on my level it makes a difference. In November of '98, when coach Pena came to the Training Center, we made some fairly simple technical adjustments to my arm carriage, which opened up my hips. I could tell within five days of his arrival that we had made some changes that other coaches had missed. Then less than a year later, I was fourth in the world.
I made a change in '98 and I had been doing the sport for 18 years, so there is always room for improvements in your form.
A: Have you set goals beyond Sydney?
CC: Right now, Im really focused on Sydney and doing everything possible to put myself in a position to medal. If I really think about it, though, Id like to stick around for 2001, which is a huge year. We have the Walking World Cup, which is our big competition. Then we have the World Championships for track later in the year and rumor has it well have a Goodwill Games late in the year, so there are three big international competitions next year.
Ill make my long-term decisions after 2001. I know physically Im capable of lasting until 2004, so in the back of my mind, thats an option. But right now, Im 100 percent focused on the gold in Sydney.