Isn't it likely that it is an imbalance between the back muscles and the stomach muscles; the balance of the two opposing sets of usually keeps you upright. The stomach muscles can lose out causing an imbalance -hence you bend over. Try strengthening the stomach muscles.

The real PacerPoles could help as they encourage good posture and because of the handgrip design you are less likely to use poles improperly- which is very common.

You may well be right about unbalanced packs - I remember that on my first Hundred attempt I had a full 2 litres of water on one side without an equivalent weight on the other, before, in later years, I was more careful to balance them out (and generally carry less water except in conditions like today's 25degC). However, the this year's wobbling Hundreder whose pack I carried the last half mile (he put it back on within sight of the finish) was leaning considerably, and his pack didn't seem either heavy or unbalanced.

A book which I read for Strider's reviews section (should be in next edition) includes what appears to be an original couple of pages on walking posture. However, the book doesn't offer any advice on how to balance a *pack*, something which I learned many years ago (see John Hillaby's books - the photos show his pack towering above his head, heaviest items stacked at the top) and which I omitted to mention in the review. Another anomaly is that a full pack may balance better than a half-empty one, something which today's lightweight gear can easily take care of without piling on the kilos.

Like Hundreds generally, the bent-over after distance walking syndrome seems to be completely under the radar - nobody other than ourselves seems to have seen or heard of it. But there must be something in the medical literature about the effects of load distribution on posture. Any physiotherapists out there who can throw some light on it ?

Iain

Greater minds than mine have tried to work this one out. I certainly saw sufferers of the syndrome well before the 100 breakfast stop this year and although I'm sure distance has to be a factor, I don't think it is the primary one. Incidentally, I've never seen it on any of the many Fellsmans I've participated in.
A few years back I suffered a freakish accident in a 100 checkpoint when I damaged a back muscle. Without thinking, my walking action compensated for the injury and I started to lean some 10 miles later, Unfortunately, I was brought to a stop before the finish.
I have often wondered if it is nothing more than a badly balanced pack which causes the individual to unknowingly compensate for the imbalance, thus affecting their normal walking stance which becomes progressively worse as the event proceeds. I certainly have seen many participants with just the one heavy water bottle in one of the side pockets and this cannot help matters.
Not very scientific, but nowadays I take great care to keep my packs balanced.

It was true that the N York Moors hundred's finishers featured a large number of 'leaning', bent sideways, aka Mrs Overall* Syndrome, cases - more, it seems, than others in recent years. The one common feature of this year's event was the heat, at least at the beginning, but the one and only one time that I've experienced it (the Marches hundred) wasn't a particularly hot one, at least so far as I recall.

So what, other than walks of more than about 65 miles, causes it ? Is it dehydration ? Lack of salt ? Lack, or surplus, of anything in particular ? My GP had never come across it, but then how many 65-mile plus walking eventers are there in a year's supply of typical GP's patients ? Is it rare, confined to bipedal activity (walking and running), or can e.g. cyclists or horse riders get it ? Is it age-related ? Aways leaning to one side (in my case left) and not the other ?

What does seem to be certain is that it doesn't last, or do any long-term damage (after a night's sleep I was fine, but for my feet of course). Or does it ? Any recurrences within the year ?

Any insights or stories welcome.

Iain

* Julie Walters character in Acorn Antiques