Race walkers compete in Surprise Feb. 7

Surprise will serve as this year’s host site for the USA 50K Race Walk Championships Feb. 7.

As many as 100 of the top athletes in the sport from across North America will be coming to challenge the streets throughout the Surprise Recreation Campus, on Bullard Avenue, just south of Bell Road.

Race walking, as defined by USA Track & Field, requires a competitor to maintain contact with the ground and straighten their front knee when the foot makes contact with the ground, keeping it straightened until the knee passes under the body. Race walkers can be disqualified from events if they fail to maintain this technique.

The competition features 20K, 30K and 40K races, too.

The top four to five male walkers who meet the qualifying time of 4 hours, 45 minutes in the 50K race will go on to represent the United States as a team in the World Cup championships this spring.

For information about USA Race Walking, visit www.usatf.org. For information about the event in Surprise, call Cliff Elkins at 623-910-0488.