As mentioned earlier, entrants at the World Masters Games have encountered problems finding their venues. (Fun fact: the track meet isn’t being held inside the Sydney Olympic stadium but at the adjacent practice track, I’m told.) Race walkers are the most recent victims. Stefan Waltermann passed along a translation of a post on Annette Koop’s German blog. “This one is pretty good,” Stefan says. “It is written by Angelika Holder of Holder Tours (Travel Agents for Masters).” It is titled:
Well, where are they race walking today?

Here’s what Angelika wrote:

Early today I’m off to the park in Parramatta, close to the largest shopping mall in greater Sydney. I can’t find much assistant in the hand book about the route for the race walkers/runners, can’t find any sign as well.

Finally, I see an official, wonderful, I’m going to ask her. Well, wrong, she approaches me and asks me to point her to the starting line for the race walking events. I’m speechless. The official grabs her cell phone, calls the administration… and tells me we will be picked up and rushed to the destination. Well, I’m doubtful since she mentioned a bridge and there could be more than one bridge in this large park.

Next, a member of the media is added to our team, sent to interview participants, laptop under the arm. His greetings: “Hi ladies, where is the race course?” Good grief, I’m not the only one too dumb to find the course and miss the races. Yet another phone call. Finally, a “masters” car rushes in, picks us up and off to the races we are. Just in time to the last stragglers to get to the finish line.

The athletes from my travel group are happy with their results, congratulating each other, including our Austrian Hans Siegele, former Olympian and longtime masters race walking participant. Shortly after the race, the mayor of Parramatta (formally dressed in a dark suit) hands out the medals. I don’t hang around for the medal ceremonies and use the wonderful public transportation system to the main venue. But I return early afternoon to Parramatta for a cross country race; I know now where to go after all.

My athletes are still at the venue and receive me with much sarcasm. Hans Siegele did not place second. Without receiving warnings on the course, without getting on the blackboard at the finish line, he was disqualified. By now, he is pretty depressed. He paid $ 50 Australian for the protest. Behind closed doors, somebody produced or found three red cards, Hans stays disqualified and receives (“Sorry, we can’t help you.”) his protest money back. What? He gets his money back.

The women’s race walk is even crazier. Ursula Herrendoerfer, unquestionable second in her age group finds out that she is third, beaten by a women from Slovakia. This is impossible since Ursula passed the women in third place much earlier in the race. And she was Australian, not Slovakian! Now what?

A protest, of course, strangely, without anybody asking for AUD 50 and without anybody asking Ursula for her side of the story. Ursula and friends find the Australian race walker and approach the race committee again. Finally, the issue is addressed properly. Turns out, the Slovakian wunderkind, now hysterically yelling and close to a stroke did not race walk the distance.

This fine athlete rested for a lap, walked back into the race near the finish line and casually walked into second place. Unchecked by judges, unnoticed by officials and rewarded by getting a medal from the well dressed mayor. It left me speechless.