You have pretty much all you need when you first learned to walk. There is not much more than a pair of good training and racing shoes and running shorts (weather dependent) that are you need for racewalking.
For shoes if you can get racewalking shoes, which are very, very rare. Try out racing "running" flats. Both Dave McGovern's and Jeff Savage's racewalking sites have great info on selecting a shoe for "racewalking" 2026 UPDATE: There really isn't much out there for dedication racewalking shoes. Racing flats are the best bet.
Here is an article from Dave McGovern regarding finding shoes that are suitable for racewalkers: Best Men's Racewalking Shoes by Dave McGovern .
For more information regarding training with a heart rate monitor checkout Dave McGovern's Worldclass Walking web page. Dave has several great articles on the benefits and when to use a heart rate monitor. You can also buy from Dave and support his long years of supporting racewalking.
NOTE: I still have a pair of the Addias Racewalking shoes on the left above.
Over the years that have been a few major athletic shoe manufactures such as Addias, New Balance, Nike, and Reebock that have mass produced shoes specifically for racewalkers. Lately there doesn't seem to be and major manufactures making shoes specifically for racewalkers — that are easy to get. I guess ther just isn't a market for them.
201 Lunenburg Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420 USA [ herseycustomshoe.com ]
Hersey Custom Competition Racewalker &Hersey Custom Racewalker was developed this one in the late ‘90s for some members of U.S. Olympic Racewalking Team. It’s extremely lightweight and flexible, and we achieved those characteristics by reducing the amount of Clarino® synthetic leather in the upper, shortening the heel counter, and using a blown rubber outersole with a bare minimum of midsole. Please understand that this shoe is intended to provide just enough protection to serious competitors who would just as soon race barefoot if they could. Also, in many cases, the components of the Competition Racewalker will not have enough bulk to permit resoling. But if you're going for the gold, this is your shoe.
16055 SW Walker Rd. PMB 112, Beaverton, Oregon 97006 USA [ reshod.com ]
Here is a dedicated Racewalking shoe: The Coach Carmen® Race Walk Shoe has a four-part zero-drop midsole. (Colors do not match the final shoe.) Each piece is angled in nature. The white wedge piece above the gray section is soft foam for comfort as the heel impacts the ground. The gray heel section piece is the most firm and is designed to provide lateral stability at impact. The yellow center piece is a pivot part which is softer than the heel section. The black toe section is resilient, encouraging a spring in your step. The angles of the gradient parts are steeper than those in the casual/training model.
Or you can do like Govindasamy Saravanan of Malaysia, race walking barefoot. Yikes! (Update September 1998: Maybe there is something to this. Govindasamy won the gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia first gold medal. I wonder if he walked bare foot.
Here is an article from Dave McGovern regarding finding shoes that are suitable for racewalkers: Coach's Corner: News on Shoes .
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