Inline skating is something new for me, but it is one of the most enjoyable activities I have. I started inline skating in 1990 just as a complement to XC ski training and did not consider racing as a possibility until 2003 when Bob Newman, Jeff Vaughan and I entered Adventure Duluth. The adventure race has six components: one-mile swim in Lake Superior, 9-mile sea kayak, 20 mile mountain bike, 12.5 mile inline skate, 6 mile canoe, 10.5 mile trail run. We are a 3-person team in which each of us must do two events. Bob bikes and runs, Jeff swims and canoes, and I kayak, inline skate, and canoe since we need two people for that phase of the race. After the first race, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had finished 15th in a field of 88 in the skate phase. In 2005 I finished 16th in a field of 44 in a rain storm. In 2006, Inline Skate training paid off with a 5th place in a field of 40...just 4 seconds out of 4th and that was due to a bib exchange that took over a minute.

The week prior to the 2005 Adventure Duluth Race, I tried my hand at the NorthShore Inline Marathon. This 26.2 mile inline race has the reputation of being the largest and most scenic inline marathon in North America. The whole experience was fantastic. I finished in 1:31:14 skating in the Fitness Category and qualified for Wave 1 for the 2006 race. The course was truly scenic along the shore of Lake Superior and the blend of colors, upbeat fit people, and onlookers all in fast motion from my perspective as a participant was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. Both the St. Paul Inline Marathon and the NorthShore Inline are on my schedule for future years.

I had a relatively good finish at the 2006 St. Paul Inline Marathon. The course has more hills than the North Shore course and the surface is rougher so times are slightly higher. Another good finish at the 2006 Northshore Inline: 4/22 in my age class and 302/1343 male participants in the Open Division. The NorthShore Inline is the largest race in North America and the competition is the best that can be found anywhere. Rain at the start of the race caused me to hold back and lose touch with the faster skaters in Wave 1, but safety was more important than speed.

The 2007 St. Paul Inline Marathon was the third consecutive race in the rain for me. Good inline skate bearings are not cheap, but I had a great time and throughly enjoyed the event.