Inline Skating Events
Planet news and updates about inline events, listed in reverse order of publication: World Inline Cup Tries a New Format
 In an effort to improve, while adapting to the requirements of a twisting, narrow road course, the World Inline Cup is trying something new on Saturday: a team time trial with as many as 2500 skaters. (Go to the Planet preview of the Basel World Inline Cup.) (April 27, 2006) Rolling Out the French Mouse
 I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto. ... You got that right! The Val d'Europe is in Paris, France, where the natives have different ideas about how to organize an inline marathon ... even if they are staging it at a U.S.-inspired theme park. (Go to Planet story.) (April 20, 2006) Teams Numbers Soar for Dome Marathon
 The number of skaters expected for the second annual Metrodome Inline Marathon is about the same as last year: 270. But the number of teams has doubled. So far, 14 teams have signed up for the popular team time trial, the organizers say. The event, the world's only indoor skate marathon, is Saturday in Minneapolis. It's not too late to sign up! (Go to official event page.) (April 19, 2006) Cactus Classic Canceled Again
 Unable to find financial backing, the Cactus Classic will once again skip a beat in 2006. "We've been trying to find some money — but there's just nothing," said lead organizer Edward Wachter. (Go to Planet story.) (April 17, 2006) ✮◆❍❂❅❒▲✣●❉❍❂❆❏❒✴❅❘❁▲✲❏❁❄✲❁▲❈
 The Texas Road Rash appears to be an event with a future. Organizers expect between 200-250 skaters for this year's event on Sunday. That would represent a healthy jump from last year's numbers. (Go to Planet story.) (March 22, 2006) Skaters Added to Chesapeake Bay Bike Tour
 It's a definite trend. More and more bike tours are opening up to inline skaters. The latest to roll out a welcome is the Chesapeake Bay Asthma Ride Bike Tour. The Maryland event (June 2-4) raises money for pulmonary research. Distances range from 10 to 100 miles on the two days (Saturday and Sunday) of road skates. You can choose to skate on one or both days. Those who skate both get free overnight lodging at Salisbury University. (Go to more info.) (March 9, 2006) Floridians Get More 10K's
 Inline racing appears to be gaining more grip at the Publix Family Fitness Weekends in Florida. For the past few years, the grocery store-sponsored event series has included two 10K skate races. But this year there will be four: one each in St. Augustine (April 23), Ft. Lauderdale (July 16), Tierra Verde (Aug. 20) and Cypress Gardens (Oct. 8). (Go to the event web site.) (March 9, 2006) Weather Can't Dampen New Marathon - The weather  gods don't appear to be smiling on the inaugural Mardi Gras Marathon. Rain and scattered thunderstorms are predicted tomorrow for Lafayette, La., where the marathon starts at 7 a.m. But organizers aren't discouraged. "We may not have a big turnout this year," Peggy Chiasson said. "But we have received lots of offers to help promote the event next year." And besides, she added, "some skaters said they are bringing some scuba gear. So who knows, it might not be so bad after all." (Go to event web site.) (Feb. 24, 2006) Wisconsin Sprouts a New Marathon - The Upper  Midwest, already home to the highest concentration of inline marathons in North America, will host a new event this year: the Hayward Inline Marathon (Aug. 12th). Located in northeast Wisconsin, Hayward is best known for its 200 foot tall statue of a muskie. But it's only 150 miles from inline hotbed Minneapolis, making it prime turf for a marathon. The event is being organized by a new company, HAP Events, founded by Minneapolis skater Heather Prois. (Go to event web page.) (Feb. 17, 2006) New York 100K Is Back! -  One of the top U.S. ultra-marathons will roll back to life this year after falling off the race calendar in 2005. The New York 100K has been scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 26th, says Marcia Woodfield of Empire Speed, which puts on the event. The annual race in Prospect Park in Brooklyn was scratched last year when organizers were unable to get the necessary permits. (Go to the Planet event calendar.) (Feb. 17, 2006) Skaters Join Tour de Cure In So. Calif. - Skaters will  join cyclists in this May's Tour de Cure Santa Monica. Participants can choose from three distances: 5 miles ("short, sweet and flat"), 25 miles ("relatively flat") and 50 miles (on the beach bike path). The tour (May 13th) raises money for the American Diabetes Association. Everyone is invited to a kickoff reception next Tuesday (Feb. 21st) at the Viceroy Santa Monica hotel. (Go to press release.) (Go to Planet event calendar.) Publow Readies 2006 Mallorca SpeedCamp -  Skate coach and author Barry Publow is returing to the island of Mallorca this spring to lead another of his skate camps. This year's SpeedCamp (May 6-13) will be condensed into one week for skaters of all abilities. (Last year's ran two weeks: the first for beginners, the second for advanced skaters.) The camp includes social skates, tours, technical instruction and training. (Go to web site.) (Feb. 7, 2006) Napa Marathon Set for June - There's something  fine about the Napa Valley Inline Marathon ... fine like a great wine, which isn't surprising given that it's held in the heart of California's wine country. This year's half and full marathon will be on Sunday, June 11th. It will be followed by a picnic, which will close a full weekend of fun, starting with San Francisco's Friday Night Skate and continuing Saturday with a wine tour and skate party. (Go to event web site.) (Feb. 7, 2006) Toronto Skate Blues -  Money woes have scuttled the 2006 Toronto Inline Race Weekend. The event ended up $6000 in the hole last year, and organizers have been unable to find new sponsors. But don't panic, says event founder Peter Doucet. "We just need to figure out a way to organize races that cost less and put together (or find) a source to fund them." (Go to Peter's announcement.) (Feb. 2, 2006) St. Paul Adds 10-Mile Skate Tour  - The organizers of the St. Paul Inline Marathon are setting out a welcome mat for beginner skaters. They've added a 10-mile skate tour to their event (Aug. 20th). The tour is "designed for newer skaters, those not quite ready for the full 26.2-mile marathon distance and for those looking to enjoy the event together as a family." The non-timed event will take place at the same time as the full marathon. Price of the tour is $35. (Go to event web site.) (Feb. 1, 2006) Inline Remains in U.S. 10K  - Inline racing will once again be part of the U.S. 10K Classic in Atlanta, Ga. Organizers had reportedly been unhappy with the dwindling number of skaters signing up for the Labor Day event. But they were apparently content with the 102 skaters who raced last year. And they found an inline sponsor: T-Mobile. They have scheduled the skate race a little earlier this year: 7:25 a.m. (Sept. 24th), five minutes after the start of the women's cycling sprint. (Go to event web site.) (Go to more event news.) (Feb. 1, 2006) Big Apple Roll Scheduled for Late July - The fourth  annual Big Apple Roll will take to the streets of New York City from July 28-30 this year. The weekend event features group skates, dining and parties. It is organized by the Empire Skate Club❍❏❒❅ ❅❖❅■▼ ■❅◗▲✎✉ ✈✪❁■✎✓✐✌✒✐✐✖✉ Skaters Cut From Montreal Marathon - Inline skaters will  not be part of the 2006 Montreal International Marathon. "Unfortunately, we canceled all inline skating activities," said event registrar Dominique Arsenault. No reason was given. Skaters have made up only a small portion of the marathon. Last year, 112 raced (up from 87 in 2004). Meanwhile, 4480 athletes competed in the event's four running races: a full and half marathon and a 5 and 10 K. (Jan. 24, 2006) Note to Organizers: Skaters Don't Just Want Marathons - Marathons draw  the biggest crowds. But they're not the only kind of event that skaters want more of. In a Planet poll, 28 percent of participants chose marathon as their favorite kind of event. But an equal percent chose "other" as the kind of event they would like to see more of. By other, they meant half marathons (for rec skaters), long point-to-point races (like a2a), time trials ("no wheel sucking"), and shorter distance races, such as 10 Ks, for non-endurance athletes. (Go to the Planet Poll.) (Jan. 24, 2006) World Outgames to Include Inline - Roller  racing will be one of 35 sports included in the first-ever World Outgames next summer in Montreal. The Outgames (July 29-Aug. 5) are intended as a celebration of gay and alternative lifestyles, but they are open to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or athletic prowess. The event includes most summer Olympic sports and a few others. Inline skaters will compete in three events: a 1000-meter time trial, a team relay and a marathon. (Go to web site.) (Jan. 17, 2006) Long Beach Grand Prix Gets Pushed Back Again -  Plans for a new multi-sport Grand Prix in Long Beach have been put on hold. "It is still an event that we are planning to do, but not this year," said race director Blair Cohn of International City Racing. The company had originally planned the event for 2005, then pushed it back to 2006. Now it will "mostly likely" be in 2007, Cohn said. As originally announced, the event was to have included a 12-mile bicycle race, an 8-mile inline race, a 4-mile run and a unique skate-cycle-run triathlon. (❍❏❒❅❅❖❅■▼ ■❅◗▲✎✉ ✈✪❁■✎✑✓✌✒✐✐✖✉ Montreal 24-Hour Relay Set for July - About  600 skaters are expected to compete in this year's 24hrs Inline Montreal. The event (July 15-16) is a relay race with teams competing to see who can skate the farthest in one full day. Teams (and a few solo skaters) circle a 2.7-mile Formula 1 racecourse. Last year's winning team (appropriately named Stamina) managed 151 laps for a grand total of 407.7 miles. Its average speed was 17.3 mph. (Go to event web site.) (Jan. 11, 2006) London Marathon Set for Aug. 6 - The London Inline  Marathon 2006 has been scheduled for Aug. 6th. The marathon will be held on the Lee Valley Cycle Circuit in East London for the last time this year. The 1-mile circuit is slated to be torn up to make way for the 2012 London Games. (Go to marathon web site.) (Jan. 10, 2006) 2006 May Be Last Year for Philly Freedom Skate - If  you've put off attending the Philadelphia Freedom Skate, don't wait any longer. This may be the last year for the popular weekend skate party. Event director Jon Pearce says falling attendance and the loss of key organizers makes it "very likely" that the event will disappear after this year. This year's event is scheduled for June 16-18th, the weekend of Father's Day. (Go to Freedom Skate site.) (Jan. 5, 2006) Two Inline Races Set for Long Beach - Long Beach may be without an inline marathon in 2006. But it won't be without skate races. Audrey Winthrop of the Beach Bladers Inline Skate Team is producing two Long Beach events this year, including the Parkinson's Open Road Race on Oct. 1st. (Go to Planet story.) (Jan. 3, 2006) Date Set for 2006 Seattle Skate for MS - Organizers  have set a date of Aug. 27th for the 2005 Seattle Skate and Walk for MS. The event includes a full and half marathon and a 5K. It's not officially a "race," but some of the skaters (about 200 participate each year) like to push the pace. Last year's "winner" (Chuck Hendrick) finished with a time of 1 hour, 19 minutes and 38 seconds. Proceeds go to the Multiple Sclerosis Association of King Country. (Go to 2006 event calendar.) Organizers Set April Date for Indoor Marathon - The  marathon season will start early in Minnesota again next year. Though snow may still be falling, skaters will be rolling in the second annual Metrodome Inline Marathon on April 22nd. The event — the only indoor marathon in the world — drew 271 skaters last year, making it the fifth largest skate marathon in the country. (Click here to register.) (Dec. 21, 2005) Organizer Promises Good Time at New Mardi Gras Marathon - The new Mardi  Gras Marathon looks like a winner. Not only is it an inline event, but it coincides with the second largest Mardi Gras celebration in North America. The marathon is Feb. 25th in Lafayette, La., the heart of Cajun and zydeco country. ... What we have here, skaters, is a new destination event! (Go to event info.) Registration Opens for the 2006 a2a Resurrection! - "The Athens  to Atlanta Road Skate is back and this time we're not going to back down." That's the message today from Scott Jones, one of the organizers. He announced that registration is now open. He also gives a thumbnail history of the world's longest running point-to-point road skate. (Go to his announcement.) (Dec. 19, 2005) Online Inline Half Marathon Set for June - Organizers have  scheduled June 10th as the date for the fifth-annual Online Inline Half Marathon in Baxter (near Brainerd), Minn. Last June, the event drew 176 skaters, making it one of the largest freestanding half marathons in North America. (Go to the Planet's Summer Event Calendar.) (Dec. 19, 2005) The Planet 2006 Event Calendar ... It's Going to be a Very Good Year! - We may have lost a  few events this year. But not to worry. 2006 is shaping up to be a great year for skaters. ... How do we know? We just put together the 2006 Planet Event Calendar. And it's loaded with stuff: inline marathons and races, skate weekends and tours, training events and seminars. And we're not done yet. We will continue to update the calendar as new events appear. (Go to the 2006 Event Calendar.) (Dec. 17, 2005) Long Beach Drops Its Inline Marathon - Inline  skating is no longer a part of the Long Beach Marathon. After a bruised inline history, organizers have decided to drop skaters from the 2006 event. They cited safety and racecourse logistics as the reasons. (Go to the Planet story.) (Dec. 15, 2005) Organizers Push Ahead With Plans for 2006 A2A -  The Athens to Atlanta Road Skate looks like a go for 2006. Organizers have set an Oct. 1st date for the event and have developed a multi-tiered approach to entry fees which they hope will help resurrect the 25-year-old event. (Go to the Planet story.) (Dec. 13, 2005) (Go to more event news) | 
