Percy Karlstrom, winner of the chamionship racewalk in Santee
Photos and story by Mike Allen
January 14, 2025 (Santee) -- Santee’s reputation as a world-class venue for race walking was burnished again Jan. 10 when it hosted the 2026 USATF Marathon Race Walk Championship in and around the Trolley Square Mall.
It was the 13th consecutive time -- and the 15th overall -- the city has hosted championships in the sport, which has one event -- the half marathon -- in the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympic Games, being held in Los Angeles.
“This is an unbelievable honor for Santee, which as a city is just 46 years old!" said Santee Mayor John Minto. "We love being the 'Race Capital of the United States.' They (race walkers) fly under the radar but they are among the toughest and most uniquely talented athletes that there are in all of sport.”
While Los Angeles is certainly in mind for the best competitors, most of the race walkers' sights were more focused on making the United States team that will vie for medals at the World Team Race Walking Championships in Brasília, Brazil, scheduled for April 12, and the 2026 Senior Pan-American Athletics Championships, to be held the last week of June in Medellin, Colombia.
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