Joanne Colan of the daily videoblog Rocketboom made a very funny episode about race walking. Take a look at those "peculiar creatures" who walk lightning fast swinging arms and hips. The technique seems to really work, and it did not take long for Joanne to learn it. According to Wikipedia, fitness-wise, race walking exceeds the caloric requirements of running because of stronger arm motion and less efficiency than running.It's a funny video and hopefully it will encourage more people to walk daily. It does not have to be THAT fast... :-)
As a side note, I just updated the Wikipedia entry on race walking with a link to the Rocketboom episode. Let's see if the link remains there or the "wisdom of crowds" throws it out.
References:
Race walking from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Image source: Rocketboom.com