Every four years there is an Olympic games. Every four years athletes compete on the track. Every four years people question whether the walking event should be included. I must admit I’m never sure myself. There always seems to be grey areas on what’s allowed in terms of techniques etc. It’s simple enough, both feet are not allowed to be airborne at the same time. But when thousands of steps are being taken it’s next to impossible to monitor this without controversy. Add to this the fact that it looks unnatural and limited; it’s easy to see how the debate relights as predictably as the Olympic flame every four years.

Having watched the walking events this Olympics, I’ve reached a conclusion on my stance. The 20km race can go, the 50km race can stay. I have no problem with people who enjoy walking or compete at distances around 20km, but as an Olympic event I’m not sure about it. With athletes running 40km in the marathon, how on earth can they justify a 20km walk? 50km on the other hand, that takes some doing.

It was the men’s final this morning, beginning in the Bird’s nest in cool conditions. However as they left the stadium for the streets of Beijing, the sun gradually began to break through the crowds. By the time they re-entered the stadium over three hours later conditions were rather hot.

The race was won by 23 year old Italian Alex Schwazer, young by walking standards (fourth placed Garcia was born in the Sixties). The Italian youngster managed to set a new Olympic record, completing the 50km in 3:37:09hrs. That’s a pretty impressive 4min20secs per 1000m. The 20km athletes averaged 4min per 1000m, so to do what he did but for an extra 150% of the distance was quite impressive.

It’s hard to argue that strength and power is crucial in the 50km walking race. Exceptional endurance and good rhythm are the essential ingredients. Below are the conclusions to tests on a supplement for endurance athletes that could be very beneficial to walkers. The supplement is Phosphatidylserine (PS) and could be for endurance events what creatine is for power sports.

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While the initial findings on PS and endurance performance look very promising, more studies will be needed to ascertain just how effective it really is in different endurance events, the optimum doses and best time to use it etc. In order to answer these questions, scientists will also have to better understand the mode of action of PS; it doesn’t seem to affect the dynamics of oxygen transport, neither did it appear to act as an antioxidant during this study.

One speculative theory is that supplemental PS can accumulate in the normal cell volume (ie not bound up in the cell membrane) and help to activate enzymes that are involved in moving sodium, potassium and calcium ions in and out of muscle cells. This could help to reduce the onset of fatigue that is thought to occur as a result of a build up of ionic imbalances within the cell. Another theory is that supplemental PS can accumulate in the membranes of heart cells, helping to enhance the contractibility of heart tissue (this has been shown to be the case in rat studies) and so improve performance. There’s also more research needed to unravel the mysteries of whether PS really can act as an antioxidant or reduce post-exercise muscle soreness and cortisol levels.

Numerous studies have concluded that PS is completely safe; indeed the only side effects seem to be beneficial (improved mental acuity, lower levels of circulating stress hormones etc), so while more evidence is needed, there appears to be nothing to lose by experimenting with it. A major drawback however is cost. A tub of 60 x 500mg PS capsules purchased in the US typically costs in the region of $20-25, with UK prices significantly higher still, and athletes need to ask themselves whether that money could be better spent on improving dietary fundamentals or other aspects of training. Whether or not you choose to experiment, there’s still much to learn about exactly what benefits PS may be able to offer, so athletes and their coaches should keep their eyes peeled for new research in this exciting area.

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