Walkers on the Wild Side : Marathon: Some of the fastest contenders in Sunday’s race will be walking, not running. The gait may look odd, but it’s effective!

Race walkers ought to get a little more respect. You’ve seen them--they’re the ones who pump their arms as if they’ve seen too many Janet Jackson videos. They stand erect, their hips swiveling like walking hula dancers.

Because of this hip rotation, race walkers endure more than their share of curious looks--and whistles.

But this is a serious sport. Race walking has been the longest distance event (50-K) in Olympic competition since the modern Olympics began, and for the first time--in Barcelona in 1992--it will be an Olympic sport for women.

Some men are “a little shy” about moving their hips, says Richard Oliver, president of the Walkers of Los Angeles club.

But the sport gained some momentum during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, when a race walker from neighboring Mexico walked away with the gold medal. Oliver says the sport has since enjoyed a little more acceptance--especially from runners who discover some race walkers can walk as fast as they run.

The Walkers of Los Angeles is a 200-strong club for race and fitness walkers. Race or fitness walking is better than regular walking or running, says Oliver, a slim and trim veteran walker at 53.

“So many people are walking anyway,” he says. “We take a regular walk and turn it into an aerobic walk. It’s total body toning.”

About 25% of the club’s members compete all over the United States, Oliver says.

Five members are national champions, including Jill Latham, 53, a transplanted Brit who holds several women’s titles in the masters division (divisions are broken down by age into youth, open and masters).

“About 4 1/2 years ago, somebody dared me to go into the L.A. Marathon,” recalls Latham with a cheery British accent. “I thought it was 10 miles.”

Ten miles, 26 miles, what the heck. Latham accepted the challenge and took almost 6 1/2 hours to finish the race. “I had blisters and couldn’t walk for two weeks--but I was hooked,” she said.

Latham is among several club members who will compete in the race-walking division of the L.A. Marathon on Sunday.

But for Latham, the marathon through the streets of Downtown will be a mere walk in the park compared to the 50-K and 100-K (62 miles) races she will face later in the year.

In 1988, Latham won the women’s division of the Long Beach Marathon (at 4:37.50) and came in second overall, just behind the winner of the men’s division. She holds five titles and plans to defend each of them this year. That’s why she’s “warming up” with the Los Angeles Marathon.

Latham will go nearly twice the marathon distance in a 50-K competition in April, and if she wins that, she’ll head for Atlanta for the nationals and the 100-K, which she won two years ago.

“(The trip) will be my husband’s present to me,” she said. “He’s very supportive.” She finished her last 100-K in 15 1/2 hours.

Women are actually better race walkers, both male and female club members agree (a point that female members of the club obviously relish). The head movement and hip rotation are easier for women, they say.

The technique can be difficult to learn, but it depends on the individual, Oliver says. When done correctly, the movement should come naturally for either sex. Once a walker masters the technique, an increase in speed usually follows.

Watching a race walker at full tilt, you wonder why they don’t just run. There are several reasons, the walking devotees will tell you.

“Race walking is total body,” Oliver says, “a lot of running is lower body. Here we use our arms and shoulders too.”

Because of the long distances for competitive race walkers, the fastest walkers aren’t necessarily the first ones across the finish line. The reason is something of a tortoise-versus-hare scenario:

“The key is not speed, it’s consistency,” Oliver says. “You have to be able to judge what you can do overall, otherwise you’ll kill yourself (trying to keep up the pace).”

In competitions, not only are times important, but the walkers are also judged. If both feet are off the ground at the same time, the walker can be disqualified.

Club members are very supportive, calling out to each other in practices when their technique falters. The club offers clinics for newcomers at its Thursday night fitness workouts at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (Tuesdays are mainly for competitors’ workouts, Thursdays are primarily aerobic exercise).

The only noticeable difference between fitness walking and race walking, Oliver says, is the intensity. After mastering the technique, some walkers feel a competitive urge.

“A lot of us started as fitness walkers,” Oliver said. “I started as a fitness walker and as I got better at it, I said, ‘This is for me.’ ”

Race walking can be done at any age, members say. A 90-year-old race walker from China competed just last year at the World Games in Eugene, Ore.

Jesus Orendain, 47, got his son, Junior, into race walking when the boy was 14. “We used to run together,” Orendain said. “Five years ago, I saw the race walkers and inquired about them.”

Orendain joined, along with his son, though at that time the boy was “one of the lasts.” Now, Orendain said, at 19, Junior is tall and thin and “is one of the best” race walkers.

Orendain still runs, but most of his competitions are as a race walker.

There are more than 20 race walking clubs in Southern California. All offer a combination of fitness and camaraderie for a relatively inexpensive price (Walkers of L.A. charges $15 a year).

“This is a sport that you don’t have to put a lot of money into,” says Collie Greene, a 64-year-old competitive race walker. “Get a good pair of shoes and go.”

* For information on walking clubs in Los Angeles, at least those under the jurisdiction of The Athletic Congress, call Elaine Ward, race-walking chairwoman, at (818) 577-2264.

* For information on Walkers of Los Angeles, call (818) 985-9854.

THE TIP-OFF

Bob Hickey, race walking judge for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, offers some tips for beginning race walkers:

* The body should be straight up and down, leaning slightly forward at the ankles not at the waist.

* Walk in a straight line, with relaxed hands rocking in a pendulum motion, in a straight line from hip to chest.

* One foot must always have contact with the ground; the supporting leg must be straight as it passes under the body.

* The difference between looking cute and looking stupid is technique. Don’t try too hard to swing your hips; the hip should follow the knee.

* Never try to equate time with distance. Start out walking for 15 minutes and increase the time. Don’t worry about how far you’ve gone.