Racing News

Lawrence Village Criterium Inline Marathon
Live updates from the racecourse

By Planet staff
July 11, 2011

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10:15 am | Recap: It was a friendly race, at least at the beginning.

Powerslide's Tony Muse and Jorge Botero hung with the big lead pack for roughly the first third of the 26-mile race. "We enjoyed the group," said Muse, a 19-time world champion speed skater from West Des Moines, IA.

Many of the skaters had attended the clinic that Muse and Botero had given the day before in Indianapolis, so it was a friendly pack.

But then the breakaways started.

Muse and Botero did a few. Then Adams Inline's Ty Fidler, who won the first two Planet Adventure marathons, took off, taking a lead of about 100 yards.

Muse, 42, went after him and bridged the gap.

Then approaching a corner, Muse caught sight of his teammate coming up from the rear. Just as they turned the corner, Muse attacked and Botero came around, and they both passed Fidler.

The Powerslide skaters, both former world champions, remained in the lead for the rest of the race.

Occasionally, they would look back to see Fidler, 28, of St. Louis, gamely trying to keep up. But he could not keep pace as Muse and Botero worked the corners to build on their lead. "Ty put in a good race," Muse said.

Muse eventually took the win with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes and 35 seconds. Botero was one second back.

Fidler finished third with a time of 1:15:15.

Chris Wright of the Texas Flyers won the women's race with a time of 1:34:16.

Christina Condon was second, thirty seconds back. Linsey Callahan was third.

Wright, 37, of Champaign, IL, skated most of the race alone. "But then Bob Harwell and Craig Rice caught up to me and I was able to tuck in with them for a few laps," she said. "But then they took off for the last few laps, and I was skating alone again."

"It was a beautiful course and a beautiful day," she said. "Tom Stergar" — one of the Planet Adventure organizers — "is doing a great job putting this race series together. Now it would be nice to have some more skaters supporting it."

Asphalt Beach's Steve Larios, winner in the grand veterans (55 and above) division, joked after the race about his newly won bragging rights.

"I was in the lead pack for the first half of the race, and during that time, I was ahead of Jorge Botero a couple of times," he said. "So now I can honestly say, 'I passed Jorge Botero twice ... in a race!'"

9:23 am | Powerslide: one, two: Tony Muse sprints in to take the win for Powerslide. Teammate Jorge Botero coasts in a few yards back, mixed in with skaters from the chase pack, which he and Muse lapped.

Adams Inline's Ty Fidler is third.

Skaters Quest's Brian Oswald skates in ahead of the chase pack to claim fourth.

Team Hoigaard's Herb Gayle wins the field sprint to take fifth. Next is Gary Blank, Brian Limke and James Linton.

Chris Wright is the first woman across the line.

Cado Motus' Zach Stoppelmoor, 11, fell but finished the race. He had a busy week, coming to Indianapolis directly from Indoor Nationals, where he finished seventh in the standard division, fifth in novice and collected a bronze medal in the 4-boy relay.

9:19 am | Two left: Ty Fidler is 15 seconds behind Tony Muse and Jorge Botero. The chase pack is about to get lapped.

9:14 am | Five to go: No change: Tony Muse and Jorge Botero alone in the lead. Ty Fidler, third. The chase pack far behind.

9:07 am | Seven to go: Jorge Botero and Tony Muse finish their 22nd lap with a strong lead.

Ty Fidler is 16 seconds back. The chase pack is standing up, 113 seconds behind the leaders. They've apparently given up on the idea of catching up.

Among the skaters in the chase pack are Gary Blank, Adams Inline's Hernan Diaz and Brian Limke.

8:59 am | Done Deal?: The Powerslide duo are skating away with the race. They are posting lap times of about 2 minutes and 23 seconds.

Ty Fidler is still 100 yards back, all alone.

The chase pack is falling further behind with lap times of about 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

8:52 am | Growing lead: Tony Muse and Jorge Botero increase their lead. They are now 100 yards ahead of Ty Fidler and a quarter-mile ahead of the chase pack.

They have finished 17 laps with 12 to go.

8:47 am | Breakaway Powerslide: The Powerslide team of Jorge Botero and Tony Muse takes the lead.

Adams Inline's Ty Fidler, a relative newcomer to inline racing, tries to hang with the big dogs. But he's a little ways back.

The chase pack is 100 yards back.

8:43 am | Caught: The chase pack catches Ty Fidler.

Jane Vanni leads the half marathon.

8:38 am | Fidler Break: Ty Fidler goes on a solo breakaway on the 10th lap. He takes and holds a 100-yard lead.

Team Hoigaard's Herb Gayle leads the chase pack. The kid, Zach Stoppelmoor, is still near the front of the pack.

8:29 am | Lap eight: Powerslide's Jorge Botero and Adams Inline's Ty Fidler take the lead on the eighth lap. Lap times are about 2 minutes and 35 seconds.

"They're flying," says Planet Adventures' Thomas A. Stergar.

8:20 am | Speed up: The first lap is a little slow ... apparently the skaters are feeling their way around the course. But they take off on the second lap, finishing it 15 seconds quicker than the first.

Adams Inline's Ty Fidler is at the head of the large lead pack after two laps. Cado Motus' Zach Stoppelmoor is tucked in right behind him.

8:14 am | Start: They're off. They'll do 29 laps of the rectangular, .9-mile course to complete the full marathon.

7:30 am | Scene: Nice day for racing at the Fort Benjamin Harrison Historic District in Indianapolis. Temperature is about 70 degrees. Winds are slight. Skies are clear.

The skaters are warming up. "It looks like there are more skaters here today," says Dawn Stoppelmoor, whose 11-year-old son, Zach, is racing in the youth division for Cado Motus.

This is the third event in Planet Adventures' summer inline racing series.

The course is very smooth, with the exception of one rough spot. "It should be a fast race," Stoppelmoor says.

Among the skaters are Powerslide's Jorge Botero and Tony Muse, who taught a clinic here yesterday for 20 skaters.