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Live Blog: Apostle Islands Inline Marathon

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June 18, 2011

Planet report

10:46 am | Recap: The question on everybody's mind before today's race was what wheels to use: the grippy but slow MPC Storm Surges or standard non-rain wheels.

Many skaters opted for the Storm Surges, which made for brisk business for the wheel vendors. But as the road course started to dry out mid-race, racers were starting to regret their Storm Surges.

"They were a big disadvantage at the end of the race," says Adam's Test Team's Danny Frederick.

But that didn't stop Frederic and teammate David Sarmiento from winning their respective divisions. Frederic, 39, of Bellevue, WA, finished first among the master men; Sarmiento, 29, of Egan, MN, was first overall. They were both using two Storm Surges on each skate, front and back.

The race got off to a cautious start on the wet roads on Madeline Island. But things were happening in the lead pack. "There were a lot of surges," Frederick says.

The Adam's Test Team skaters often tested the pack with breakaways. And Simmons' Alex Fedak from Oklahoma tried several times to get away.

"We knew how strong a skater he was so we wouldn't let him get too far away," says Frederick.

Finally, on the last of three laps, Sarmiento and teammate Ty Fidler took off. "We got a little gap and we kept working and working and that's how we got our lead," says Sarmiento, a transplant from Colombia. "At that point, the pack started getting ready for the sprint and stopped chasing us."

Sarmiento finished a second ahead of Fidler with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes and 24 seconds.

"I don't feel 100 percent yet. It's still too early in the season," Sarmiento says. "I still have to get into better shape."

Sarmiento has two first place finishes this year. He was a member of the Adam's Test Team that won the Metrodome Time Trial.

This is the first race of the season for Fidler, 29, of University City, MO. He opted against Storm Surges today.

Sarmiento and Fidler finished a minute ahead of the lead pack.

Teammate Danny Frederick won the field sprint, followed by yet another Adam's Test Team skater, Matt Meyer.

Kara Peterson (yep, Adam's Test Team) easily won the women's race, finishing with the second men's pack.

Peterson, a 42-year-old Minneapolis police officer, finished more than three minutes ahead of the second woman, Asphalt Beach's Candy Wong. (Kara Peterson profile.)

9:51 am | Adam's Test Team Takes It: Adam's Test Team's David Sarmiento wins the second annual Apostle Islands Inline Marathon. Teammate Ty Fidler finishes right behind him in second place.

About a minute later, a third member of Adam's Test Team, Danny Frederick, wins the field sprint for third place.

Next come Matt Meyer of Adam's Test Team, Brent Bovitz and Conrade Thomas (we think), followed by Schankel-Kallisto’s Morgan Williams.

Adam's Test Team's Kara Peterson wins the women's race, a little behind the lead men's pack.

Asphalt Beach's Candy Wong finishes second. Just behind her is teammate Nadine Currie Jackson.

9:40 am | LMTA Half: The two lap race — dubbed the "Little More Than a Half Marathon" — just finished.

Adams Inline's Bob Losby of Eau Claire, WI, won; Rainbo's John Shenko was second; Bill Gabos, third.

The women's winner was Cheri Uelmen of Eau Claire, WI.

9:25 am | Two down, one to go: Simmons' Alex Fedak (Correction) Brent Bovitz leads the pack as the skaters came through La Pointe for the second time. Sometime during the lap, the pack caught the three Adam's Test Team racers who had broken away during the first lap.

The pack, which includes the three Adam's skaters, is smaller now: about a dozen skaters. And it's moving slower.

It wasn't clear whether last year's top woman, Kara Peterson, was in the lead pack. But Max Muscle's Rayna Meyer was not. "Apparently, she was dropped," Larson says.

The rain has stopped. But the road is still soaked.

The finish is a 100 meter straightaway after a 90 degree turn. On a wet road, "it's going to be interesting," Larson says.

8:59 am | End of first lap: Adam's Test Team was out in front as the skaters came through the little town of La Pointe at the end of the first lap.

Adam's David Sarmiento was in front with teammates Danny Frederick and Ty Fidler right behind him.

The three were 50 meters ahead of the chase pack of 15 skaters led by Hoigaard's Andy Kostka and Jeff Terwilliger.

Max Muscle's Rayna Meyer was in the chase pack. Not sure about Adam's Kara Peterson, who won the inaugural Apostle Islands marathon last year.

8:40 am | Start: All waves are off safely. Slowly but safely. "With the rain, they all started real easy. No one was sprinting," says Mat Larson.

The open and master divisions started first, followed a couple minutes later by the vets, fitness skaters, half marathon skaters and Mad Fun skaters.

The rain doesn't appear to have discouraged many skaters. "There were a lot of people, even for the Mad race," Larson says.

The Mad Fun race is one lap around the 8.7-mile racecourse.

8:10 am | Wet: A light rain is falling on Madeline Island with 20 minutes to go before the start of the Apostle Islands Inline Marathon.

"It's a real light sprinkle," says Adams Inline's Mat Larson, who will be watching from the sidelines today due to an injury.

"It started raining at 1 a.m. and rained for an hour, and then it rained again at 3 a.m. So the course is soaked," Larson says. "But it looks like a lot of skaters ... a lot of people with Storm Surges (rain wheels)."

Some 400 had signed up to skate the event. But the rain will probably discourage some skaters from lacing up.

Nonetheless, spirits are high, Larson says. "I haven't heard anyone complaining. Everyone seems happy."

 

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