Racewalker Herazo forced to sidelines by injury

Tim Graham

Monday, Feb. 8, 1999 | 11:17 a.m.

Victoria Herazo used to be one of the best walkers in the world.

Now she's frustrated from having to walk away.

Herazo, a two-time Olympian from Henderson, suffers from a mysterious hip injury and was forced to withdraw from the half-marathon racewalk on Sunday. The race was part of the Las Vegas International Marathon.

"I feel really good," Herazo said. "But my hip gets numb, and I can't get my stride. I start to drag my leg, and then my form falls apart. I start running the risk of getting disqualified and, at that point, I drop out."

Herazo, who was ranked No. 1 in the nation as recently as 1997, withdrew shortly beyond the 10-kilometer mark, where her split was an impressive 46:25.

"I would have been happy with 48 minutes," she said. "It's a very competitive time."

But racewalking rules state a competitor must straighten her leg as she steps forward and must never have both feet simultaneously off the ground. Repeated violations result in disqualification, which was Herazo's fate at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. That time, it was a hamstring problem.

"I don't know why she tried," her doctor, Robert Voy, said of Sunday's race. "I didn't think she'd make it."

Voy said Herazo's problem likely is in her hip extensor and an attached tendon. He said the injury could also be affecting her sciatic nerve. She will have an MRI done today in hopes of determining the exact cause of the numbness.

"Race walkers have a different gait," Voy said. "Oftentimes they have a lot of hip and knee problems because it's not a normal gait."

Herazo needs the problem corrected by next Sunday, when she intends to walk a 3-kilometer race in Reno. If she can finish in 14:40, she will qualify for the U.S. Track & Field national indoor meet Feb. 26 in Atlanta.

"I'm fine in the sprints," Herazo said. "So I'm hoping to have a good, fast race in Reno."

If she doesn't qualify, she will miss her first indoor national in 12 years.

Herazo will be eligible to compete at the masters level in June, when she turns 40.

She still holds U.S. records in the mile as well as the 5- , 10- , 15- and 20-kilometer walks. She also holds the world record in the one-hour walk, which is determined by farthest distance.