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NORTHSHORE MARATHON (DULUTH MINNESOTA) -SEPT 2002

The North Shore Marathon was a blast again this year. The whole weekend was packed full of fun and excitement. I can't even imagine not going next year.

Getting to the start line was a marathon in itself. I traveled by bus and subway to Pearson Airport where I met Gillian and Carolyn and boarded the plane to Thunder Bay. We did the four-hour drive to Duluth and drove the race course on the way down to show Carolyn what she was in for. We went to the expo site to pick up our numbers and ran into most of our teammates. I drooled over a set of 13.5 inch frames (which will take the 84mm wheels) but I managed to resist temptation. We got a large group of TISC skaters and a few others together for dinner and then it was off to bed for a good (but short) sleep. The journey to the start line was completed with a ride on a big yellow school bus. I sensed the same sort of carnival atmosphere as last year with a seemingly endless string of porta-potties and lawn chairs down one side of the road and keyed up skaters of all descriptions milling about waiting for the start.

I watched the Pro skaters take off with more than a passing interest because my long-term goal is to skate with them. Now it was time for the Advanced Men. Again this year, for the first several miles, there where 4 pelatons side by side with skaters jumping back and forth between. Less experienced skaters often got caught between the lines imperiling themselves and others. At one point I yelled at a guy to get in front of me and I spent the next 5 minutes giving him a quick lesson on pack skating. He never said a word to me but he did everything I told him to. The asphalt has deteriorated a great deal in the past year and now there are a great many road snakes to deal with. I saw or heard 10 or 15 skaters fall.

This year I spent my time much closer to the front of the pack and although I can't be 100% certain I believe that the pack dynamics were quite different. Last year, there were several guys taking good pulls for the benefit of all. This year, there were two teams (of about 5 skaters each) which dominated the front of the pack and in general slowed down the pace. As a result there was still a very large pack of perhaps 100 skaters still together at the ¾ point of the race. Finally the pace picked up and the ranks of the lead pack thinned out to about 30. I was sorry to see my team mates Andres and Lanny get dropped but I was happy to know I had less competition in the sprint to the finish. At one point, Morgan tried a breakaway. This shook things up a little but the pack reeled him in pretty quickly. I fought for good pack position coming through the tunnels but I was outmaneuvered to some extent. However, I did really well in the last few hundred meters and picked up 7-8 positions on the ramp, corners and downhill stretch.

My goal for the race was to finish in the top 12 overall and to win my category. I did it! The time for the Advanced Men was 3+ minutes slower than last year. This was due to the headwind and the pack dynamics. Next year, I will skate Pro. My goal will be to beat the time of the fastest Advanced Man. I hope that Bob Tysen is there! Perhaps I should offer him some of my Air Miles.

The rest of the weekend was almost as eventful as the race. A large group of us did brunch, beers, the awards ceremony, the Rib-fest and then partied at Grandma's. I retired undefeated from the air hockey table (Herb -want a rematch?). On the drive back to Thunder Bay, we decided to skate the beautiful looking bike trail that is visible from the highway. Unfortunately, Gillian had a hard fall early on and Carolyn discovered that partying with Chad had taken a little more out of her the she had thought. We packed it in and headed home. Great trip. Can't wait for next year.

In the picture are two of my TISC teammates (a mother and daughter in fact) -bruised and bloody but pushing hard for the finish.

My time for the race was 1:20:15. That's a so-so time for that course because skaters were fighting a bit of a headwind. Still, it was the second fastest time I've done for the distance.