Irish race walking trio take on the world in China

Irish race walking trio take on the world in China

Three Irish race walkers will compete at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships in Taicang, China over the weekend (5th and 6th May).

China welcomes nearly 400 athletes from 49 countries with Brendan Boyce (Finn Valley), Alex Wright (Leevale) and Cian McManamon (Westport) looking to compete with the world’s best.

Brendan Boyce will be first to compete in the men’s 50km at 1am Irish time on Saturday .

Alex Wright and Cian McManamon, who were part of the Irish team that won team bronze last year at the European equivalent, toe the line in the 20km at 3:10 am Irish time on Sunday.  

Located in the centre of Taicang, the two-kilometre loop course is the same one that is used for the annual IAAF Race Walking Challenge event and for the 2014 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. It is completely flat, traffic-free and with wide turning points at each end. The start and finish line is situated near to the City Museum and Library.

For the first time at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships, all events will be conducted using a pit lane area. If an athlete receives three red cards, they will be required to enter the pit lane and remain in there for the relevant time period: one minute for the 10km races, two minutes for the 20km races and five minutes for the 50km races. They will then be able to re-join the race. If the athlete receives another red card, they will be disqualified.

The IAAF has an excellent mini-site for the event and you can find out everything you need to know about the championships on it HERE.