SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK
Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:

Safe by Design

A guide to setting up a safe and fair finish for an inline speed skating road race

By San Diego Street Elite
Jan. 30, 2009

What to expect at the end of a race

1. Lead pack sprint
   
   
   
   The finish of an inline skating race is thrilling to watch and experience! It is similar to the finish of a bicycle race. One or two skaters may have been able to break away earlier in the race and finish alone but the rest of the top skaters enter the last stretch of the race in a tightly bunched pack. They then sprint all out for the finish line at speeds of 30 mph! They spread out over the entire width of the road as they try to pass each other. 15-20 skaters may cross the line within a single second and in the big races, 100 in a single minute! A hundredth of a second can mean the difference between being on the podium or not.
    
2. Races are won and lost by incredibly small margins. Sometime in their careers all skaters in the lead pack has made the mistake of slightly easing up before the finish line only to be passed at the line and lose a placing. This is why skaters are coached to sprint “through the line” so a hesitation in the last two feet of the race does not negate months of preparation. They train over and over to sprint through the line. In the exhaustion and adrenaline of a race situation they cannot do otherwise.
   
   
3. Age group sprints
   The lead pack sprint scenario is repeated several more times as other “packs” approach the finish. These skaters may be sprinting for age-group placings or just because they like to race. Some of these skaters still compete at a national level in the masters categories and some are only a year or two away from being in the lead pack. Young racers are always in the mix as well.
   
   
4. Recreational
   Also in the mix are skaters who are there for the fun and challenge of completing the distance. They may sprint or they may slow down and wave to family and friends. Some may link arms and cross the finish line together with their friends.
   
   
5. Super slow (mixed into following event)
   
   There are always a few skaters slower than you would think possible. They may have stopped during the event to chat, take off their skates, pet a dog, etc. If there is a running event following the skating race, these skaters will still be finishing long after many of the runners are done.

(photos: Carole Christianson, Fruits of the Vine Photography)

Next: Comparison to running races

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Related reading:

• Skate Tip of the Week Archive
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating