This summer in Athens, Olympic competition will end, as usual, with the men's marathon, a 26-mile race many consider the most grueling event of the Games.
Race walkers, however, would disagree with that assessment. The 50-kilometer walk, in fact, is the longest foot race in the Olympics. But instead of respect, most race walkers get ridiculed for competing in what's often called a weird-looking sport.
As part of an occasional series on the upcoming Summer Games, NPR's Tom Goldman profiles Curt Clausen, America's best long-distance race walker -- an athlete who's honed his patience in a sport that pushes him to move as fast as he can without breaking into a run.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
