Maybe I'm just immature but I can't take this 'sport' seriously!

My friend and I are currently watching some 50K Race Walk Championships (Channel 4 for people in the UK), as there's nothing better on tv..

Every time I look at the tv I just crack up. They have slow motion parts, and I can't breathe from the laughter.

It looks like a race in slow motion.

I am sure it takes skill and athleticism, but the walking seems like an unnecessary restriction. In all other races you are not limited, you simply go as fast as you can while pacing yourself based on the distance of the race.

These guys are deliberately going slower than they are able to go, and I don't really know what the point is unless it is to point out that walking is easier on the joints

Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Stride length is reduced, so to achieve competitive speeds, racewalkers must attain cadence rates comparable to those achieved by Olympic 400-metre runners—and they must do so for hours at a time since the Olympic events are the 20 kilometre race walk and 50-kilometre (31 mi) race walk.

Racewalking

Yeah I don't know how they cope doing that for around 3 hours!

There are like no people there.