Women are racing at the World Championships, which for some of us is an incredibly exciting thing! Something that should be celebrated and rejoiced! More steps towards equality! The chance to compete at the world stage! And as with anything there's the naysayers, the people who have nothing to do with anything but now have to voice their opinion, which almost always is negative. Obviously people have the right to their own opinions. But when those opinions are based on flawed or incomplete facts and then put down, defame or just plain hurt others, then what is the point? So let's look at some numbers, because those are things that are not subject to opinion. Each of my number section will be based on comments that have been said. There will be commentary besides numbers, just to warn you.
First some prep work. We need a language to talk about and explain the differences. A common ground. Because people are deciding on what is "elite" (have I ever mentioned how much I despise that word?) and what standards "should" be without thinking about anything except their preconceived notions of their opinions. How I will speak of things is percentage based off the men's standards. For example. The women's 1:36 standard is 14.2% slower than the men. The women's marathon (the largest percentage difference) is 18.7%. The percentage difference between the men's and women's 50K standard is 9.75%. This is the smallest percentage difference in any event in track and field outside the hurdles and relays. And, what is interesting is it is also smaller than the 11-13% difference that the IAAF has admitted during a court case (having nothing to do with race walking) that women are different than men. (the case had to do with testosterone levels in women) The IAAF imposed a standard on the 50K women that is stricter than they admit that women tend to be different than the men. Just stop and think about that for a second. As a point of interest, let's take those two other percentages, 20K and marathon, and apply them to the 50K. If we followed the 14.2% we would have a qualifying time of close to 4:41. And the marathon difference of 18.7% would be 4:52. Okay, I'll leave that there for now, but we will come back to some of this.
1. Six of the seven women that are racing are failed 20K walkers, women not good enough to make the standard at the 20K.
I find this statement, which has been said by many people in many different ways, to be dumbfounding. Who says to the triple jumpers who qualified "that's great, but it's really too bad you can't also qualify in the long jump. You're really just a failed long jumper." Or to the qualifiers in the 200, "That's nice that you qualified, but it's too bad you don't do the 100. Really you're just a failed 100 meter runner." Or, to the biggest point, to the many male race walkers who only have the standard in one distance, are they considered hacks for not being able to qualify in both distances? I don't think I've ever heard that related to a male race walker. But wow, how easy it was for people to say it about the women. Are there athletes who can qualify in the 20K and 50K? Of course! Just like there are the 100/200 doubles, 5,000/10,000 double and so on. But those people are considered extra ordinary, amazing athletes, above and beyond. Just because not everyone can qualify at a second event doesn't mean that they're not also fantastic athletes. Five of the athletes on the starting line will have times under the toughest standard in any event 200 meters or over. That doesn't make us failed 20K walkers, that makes us strong 50K walkers! Of the other two we have one that is under the 20K percentage difference and the other is incredibly close to the marathon difference. So every single one of these women has EARNED the right to be on that start line.
2. With the women having to start their last lap at 4:17, that means there could be women who aren't allowed to finish but still get a place (read: prize money). Okay, this one gets interesting. First there are some important parts to this. WE WON'T BE ALLOWED TO FINISH!!!! It's not like there are women going, eh, you know, I think 48K would be a nice place to stop. We will be forced to stop! Forced! I can't speak for everyone, but the ones I have spoken to are upset by this! We want to finish!. And especially since the time they have imposed, if you raced the race at an equal pace, would equal a 4:27:43, which is FASTER than the qualifying time! No other event has that imposed. And let's look at numbers for that. The difference between 4:30 and 4:27:43 is 99.148%. That would mean that guys in the 50K would not be allowed to finish if they finished slower than 4:03:54. Women's 20K: 1:35:11 (4), men's 20K: 1:23:17 (7), women's marathon: 2:43:36 (4), men's marathon: 2:17:49 (14). The numbers in parentheses are the number of athletes that have entry times slower than the imposed cut off time would be. Here is the chart by event. Look at how many in some event would not be allowed to finish unless they did a PB on the day...
men standard 91.148% athletes over women standard 91.148% athletes over
100m 10.12 10.03 36 100m 11.26 11.16 27
200m 20.44 20.27 31 200m 23.10 22.90 26
400m 45.50 45.11 30 400m 52.10 51.66 22
800m 01:45.9 01:45.0 26 800m 02:01.0 02:00.0 27
1500m 03:36.0 03:34.2 27 1500m 04:07.5 04:05.4 17
5000m 13:22.6 13:15.8 14 5000m 15:22.0 15:14.1 15
10000m 27:45.0 27:30.8 11 10000m 32:15.0 31:58.5 8
3000m SC 08:32.0 08:27.6 19 3000m SC 09:42.0 09:37.0 18
110m H 13.48 13.37 17 100m H 12.98 12.87 21
400m H 49.35 48.93 20 400m H 56.10 55.62 16
Marathon 2:19:00 2:17:49 14 Marathon 2:45:00 2:43:36 4
20km Walk 1:24:00 1:23:17 7 20km Walk 1:36:00 1:35:11 4
I know I for one will be very, very interested to look at the results the night of the 13th and see how many race walkers in the men's 50K and the men's and women's 20K would have been removed from the course if the same standards were applied to them. And for curiosity's sake the marathon as well.
I like numbers (not as much as words, I'm a scrabble girl), it's fun to play with them. So one more interesting thing to do with the numbers. We've seen the math that women's 50K is 9.75% of the men's standard. And the women's 20K is 14.2%, and marathon is 18.7%. Let's do some backwards math. There is an "extra" 4.45% for the 20K and 8.95% for the marathon. Let's take those percentages away from the 20K and men's 50K standards to see what would happen if they lost the extra time that the women's 50K has lost with the tougher standard.
distance original standard 4.45% faster 8.95% faster
men's 50K 4:06:00 3:57:30 3:43:51
men's 20K 1:24:00 1:21:06 1:16:30ish
women's 20K 1:36 1:32:41 1:27:24
This is just for point of interest, but it should make you think about the inequality the 50K women have been subject to with the qualifying standard. It's just a few different ways to look at things. (and as a side note, some of the calculations have been done by others and some by me. As I said I'm a word girl, so if there's a flaw with the math let me know, unless we're talking a few seconds, then just go with the concept...)
Okay, let me go away from the numbers for just a second. There are a number of people, not necessarily the women themselves saying it, but other saying it for them, that if they had known they would've done it. Everyone could see the writing on the wall. Change has been happening, in slow steps, but happening. With women allowed to compete last year in Rome, that should've been a big hint. Then women were added this year under the 4:06 men's standard. Those women probably looked at that time and said, whoa, I can't do that, I'll focus on 20K. And that's totally fair and a decision they made. And some women saw that and said, hmm, I'm going to try. I may not hit it, but I'll try, because who knows what could happen? If you look at the list for this year how many Chinese women are on that list? Why? Because the Chinese can see where this is headed, the addition of a women's race, so they're starting their development now instead of waiting. They are looking ahead and being proactive. Those women who are complaining that it wasn't fair, it should've been announced earlier, what have they done to promote and move forward women's 50K race walking? It's a lot easier to sit back and complain than it is to stand up and fight. But that's in the past, so here's the bigger question. What are they doing NOW to change things for next year? Are they planning on a 50K to race? Are they contacting their federation to push the IAAF and the RW Committee to set a race and a standard now so that women can properly prepare? Are they? Or are they happy to sit back and complain and not do anything and instead put down the efforts of those women who put themselves out there? I hope with all my heart that they are out there getting ready to train for and race a 50K and working for change, because that is what is needed.
And why is that needed, you may be asking? Who cares if there's a women's 50K? There are a few answers. One, it's what's right and fair in the world. Every charter speaks to equality. Besides the women who have already done 50Ks there are apparently all those women saying they would've done it, so there's obviously interest. Having 23 events for women and 24 for men is not equality. The IOC has said that in 2020 they want equality. If we don't have women doing the 50K we're going to lose the men doing the 50K. It really is just about that simple. You all know that they are always looking for a reason to get rid of the race walks, especially the 50K. That, right there, will be the reason if it's not fixed. We want equality, there isn't equality in race walking, so out goes race walking. If you can't see that you've got your blinders on.
Here's another fun one: The IAAF was forced into it, it should've been allowed to grow organically. Really? Seriously, really? the IAAF should be allowed to have equality happen organically? How does that happen? If they don't have the races then it's not equality? When has a federation or association ever done something out of the kindness of their hearts? They do it because they are forced or there is pressure. How can people say on the one hand we support the women racing but not the way they got there? That doesn't even make sense? I will say it again, because some people really need the repetition, if the IAAF is trying to get rid of the RW they can do it through the women's 50K. They can do it by not allowing a women's 50K, which was hard when equality is written in their charter, so they kind of had to. Not because that was the wrong way to do it, but because that's the right thing to do. Are they setting us up to fail at the world championships? It sure would seem so. Keeping the field so small with the hardest qualifying time, then making a cutoff time faster than the qualifying time. All those people who say they're supportive of the women racing, where is your outrage at how we're being treated? Who is writing to the IAAF saying that it's just another form of gender bias imposing the 4:17 last lap time? Who is talking to their federation asking them to intervene?
One thing I've wondered for a long time is what would happen if people took the energy they have complaining about things and instead supported one another. If half, or a quarter even, of the energy that has been spent telling me I shouldn't bother trying or I can't do something, or I'm a hack, or a failed 20K walker was instead spent helping, lifting others up, looking for creative ways to solving problems then I think we've have one of the most popular events ever! But there's just so much negativity! And what else kills me, people saying things like "other events are going to say bad stuff about us..." They don't have to, we're saying it to each other! All the runners have to do is look at how we're treating each other and repeat the negativity, they don't have to come up with anything themselves! We're going to tear ourselves apart from the inside and the IAAF or IOC won't have to do anything.
The next time you're thinking of complaining about or looking down on what's happening with the women's 50K, stop and ask yourself: What have I done to help? What have I done to improve my sport?
Have I told any of the women on the start list good luck?
Have I reached out to other women and ask if they're interested in trying a 50K?
Have I started training for a 50K?
Have I decided to put on a 50K that will give women the chance to get a time in?
Have I spoken with my federation to help?
Have I written letters?
No matter if you're male or female, active or retired, there is something on that list of that you can do. I can check off every single one of those boxes. If everyone who reads this took two of those things and did them then we would see change. Stop complaining and start doing. Help things get better, for the women and for the men who would like to keep their event.
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