Based on the subject article, Josef,
turning walking into a competitive sport may be counterproductive,
at least for the winners over a shortened lifetime.
But most of us have the good sense, or the physical fragility,
to give up high-level competition at marathon distances as we age.
OTOH it seems that x-professional American football players die younger than runners.
That does not speak well for short intense exercise nor for ever ceasing all exercise.
On a last note, when I was young some 70 years ago, I read and heard
that anyone who ran in Africa
was considered to be in the process of stealing, else there is no reason to run. Seems times have changed.
Richard