Distance in Photos: You can see the speed in walking.

Back in 2007, I attempted and finished the Farmdale 33 mile race (walking 100 percent of the time). But I remember starting out and being completely unable to stay with anyone, which was unusual for me at the time.

But I had come back from a hip/piriformis injury and here I am:

Look at my feet. Notice how wide apart they are; it is almost as if each foot had its own straight line path. This is because I didn’t have the hip rotation to keep the feet aligned.

I look a bit better here:

(FANS 2009; it was early)

Right here, though I am making errors, my feet are better aligned.

Here I am in my single support phase:

And this is what a faster walker looks like:

Notice she is still legal late in the race (Tammy at Portland; she walked a 4:38, whereas I walked a 5:14 and a 5:28 respectively at these marathons).

What does this mean? Obviously marathon success depends on many factors including proper training, being ready (my 5:14 came within one month of a draining 100 mile trail race) and ability. But technique is a huge factor, and inefficiencies from bad technique add up over time.