Event News:

Course Preview: Hayward Inline Marathon
Good crowd expected for inaugural event
By Planet staff
(posted Thursday, May 25, 2006)

Event organizer Heather Prois says she expects 300 to 500 skaters for the inaugural Hayward Inline Marathon on Aug. 12th in Hayward, Wisc.

If so, the event will be the fourth largest inline marathon in North America. The largest is the Northshore Inline Marathon, which last year drew 3898 skaters; next comes the St. Paul with 1691, followed by the Disney, which dropped to about 700 skaters this year after two years of troubled races.

Prois expects most Hayward skaters to come from nearby Minnesota, the nation's inline hotbed.

Skaters will be able to choose between a half or full marathon.

Prois, a former intern with the St. Paul Marathon, has mapped out a scenic road course for the event.

The race will start outside downtown Hayward before heading into the North Woods forest and lake country. Prois (rhymes with Troy) describes the terrain as rolling hills.

After the race, skaters will be treated to a free lumberjack show and barbecue, thanks to sponsor Fred Scheer.

Hayward is no stranger to endurance events: It is the home of the American Birkebeiner, the largest cross-country skiing event in North America.

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