Racing News:

Mantia, Baena Rule the Mouse
Wheel War Turns Up the Heat at Disney World

By Robert "Just the Factoids" Burnson
Sunday, April 1, 2007
(updated 2.34 p.m. PT)

It was no "walk in the park" at today's Disney World Inline Marathon.

A strong field that included many of the top racers from the United States and Colombia turned the race into a fierce battle at the Florida theme park.

In the end, it was the reigning world marathon champions — USA's Joey Mantia and Colombia's Cecilia Baena — who ruled the Mouse.

Mantia shaved a full three minutes off his winning time from last year (1 hour, 17 minutes). Baena finished only four seconds behind him in a race that allowed women to draft in the men's pro pack.

With so many top skaters — Mantia, Michael Cheek, Chris Creveling and Sebastian Cano from the United States and Julian Rivera, Andres Munoz and Pedro Causil from Colombia — lacing up for the race, the pace was fast from the start.

"It was just breakaway after breakaway after breakaway," said K2-Empire Speed's Francisco Ramirez.

The main battle, at least until the end of the race, was between the rival Luigino and MPC teams. MPC's Creveling, a U.S. world team member, initiated the first breakaway. Luigino's Mantia stayed at or near the lead for much of the race. Another skater who pushed the pace was Adam Inline's David Sarmiento.

Meanwhile, the Colombians sat back in the pack and waited. With them were the top Colombian women: Baena, Brigyte Mendez and Diana Holguin.

The pace slowed down on the second of two laps around the theme park. A few skaters fell on the perennially slippery boardwalk.

Finally, about 800 meters from the finish line, Mantia and teammate Michael Cheek started their sprint. They quickly took a 50-meter lead. But the pack caught them before the Colombians mounted a late charge.

Colombia's Andres Munoz, 19, caught Cheek in the final meters to claim second place. Colombian Julian Rivera finished fourth. Munoz, Cheek and Rivera all finished one second behind Mantia.

MPC's Sebastian Cano finished fifth. Teammate Creveling was seventh.

Three Colombian women finished in the thick of the men's pack (starting at about 10th place overall). Baena (Luigino) was first with a time of 1 hour, 17 minutes and 4 seconds. Mendez (Tru-Rev) finished just behind her with an identical time. Liana Holguin was third, two seconds back.

Five minutes passed before the second group of women arrived at the finish line lead by Briana Kramer (High Point), Melanie Bradley and Jilleanne Rookard.

Baena's win meant Matter, the wheel sponsor for Luigino skaters, earned top honors in both the men's and the women's division.

In all, 947 skaters participated in the Disney event: 545 skated the full marathon; 402, the half; and 105, the kid's races on Saturday.

Among the skaters were two adventurous women from northeast Florida: Carol Vaneman and Mary Wiggen.

The two celebrated their 60th birthday's today by skating the full marathon, which was the first skate event of any kind for either woman.

"It was such a blast," Vaneman said.

It took the women longer than they had expected to finish the 26.2 mile race: 3 hours and 4 minutes. "We didn't train on any hills, and skating up the ramps on the course took some energy," Vaneman said.

But the women survived the marathon without as much as a blister.

"Everyone was so great," Vaneman said. "It was a great way to celebrate our birthdays."

Related reading:

• Disney pro results
• Disney full results