NorthShore 2013

[Alyosha]

That ladies field ain't bad either.

[gopherfan]

I think you have a 2012 list of names??? I see a number of things that don't seem right beyond 30-39 and 40-49 being merged.

[bjvircks]

feel free to crosscheck (even though the list is dated 8-18 but was posted 8-12) I may have fouled up.

http://northshoreinline.com/register...-confirmation/

edit: yep, dropped the 40-49 header. thanks for mentioning it. I'll get it fixed.

done.

[gopherfan]

OK, that 40-49 header makes a big difference , though I'm still surprised to see Jesse Pauley, but I'm an idiot.

I'm also surprised so many people wait to register, but then again I don't understand the lack of outrage over a $16T - oh, wrong venue.

They've really cutback on pro placement pay-outs. I'll be curious how that plays out. I know some people are tempted to move from open to 30-39. I'm good with that since Ron and Francisco Ramirez and Adam Miller will probably slot in before me anyways. I don't skate for the money, but I'm not the only one I've heard thinking Duluth has lost prestige. I'd put it behind many other races, but it still is the biggest in North America. I just heard Montreal 24 registrations are down for the 2nd straight year, so I guess it is a race to the bottom for the biggest races. (Montreal 24 is always down Olympic years - 4 yrs ago I was on the winning team picture on left - after 24 hours the top 3 teams finished on the same lap #)

[SkateMO]

Originally Posted by gopherfan

OK, that 40-49 header makes a big difference , though I'm still surprised to see Jesse Pauley, but I'm an idiot.

I'm also surprised so many people wait to register, but then again I don't understand the lack of outrage over a $16T - oh, wrong venue.

They've really cutback on pro placement pay-outs. I'll be curious how that plays out. I know some people are tempted to move from open to 30-39. I'm good with that since Ron and Francisco Ramirez and Adam Miller will probably slot in before me anyways. I don't skate for the money, but I'm not the only one I've heard thinking Duluth has lost prestige. I'd put it behind many other races, but it still is the biggest in North America. I just heard Montreal 24 registrations are down for the 2nd straight year, so I guess it is a race to the bottom for the biggest races. (Montreal 24 is always down Olympic years - 4 yrs ago I was on the winning team picture on left - after 24 hours the top 3 teams finished on the same lap #)

I'm surprised to see the World Class skaters (Powerslide guys) in the Open. That may sound strange to say because we always see a few international elite guys, but I agree with Brian that I'm not sure NSIM is the same race it used to be. It's still fantastic (and in my opinion the best), but I'm not sure it gets the publicity that it used to. Thus, I'm a little surprised the Powerslide guys would make a trip all the way here to race against maybe each other (or a handful of other skaters). I doubt Joey will race (with the Olympics being his top priority). And, not sure if we'll see Justin or Harry or anyone like that. But, even so, the Powerslide guys are probably in a different group when it comes to marathon racing.

I think part of the issue with the pro groups (getting smaller and smaller) is just the lack of incentives. Let's be honest...whether you race pro open, pro masters, pro women, this sport takes a lot of time and dedication. In order to be one of the best (unless you were just gifted at birth with the ability to skate), you have to train really hard. After a while, the sacrafices start to add up, and you step back and have to ask the honest question - "What am I doing this for?" Now, I'm specifically speaking of the guys that race in the pro groups. Right now, you're not going to have 10 or 15 World Class skaters in the elite open because there just aren't that many skaters that can afford to dedicate that kind of time for such little payback. Sure, self-satisfaction, feeding your competititve spirt, etc, etc are great "rewards." But, there comes a time when you have to work, go to college, start a family - and you just can't throw all your marbles into the sport of skating.

Even if Duluth raised the prize payout to $3K, $2K, $1K for the winners in the elite open group, not sure it would increase attendance that much, especially on the US side. I think you would see a lot of international skaters come over and try to take home the money. But, the upside would be that "publicity" might go up. And, with publicity, more and more people hear about the event, hear about skating, and maybe decide to register.

But, this is a tough battle - increasing attendance at races. I personally think most "outdoor enthusiasts" are motivated for one of two reasons or both - 1. Being in community (with people that share similar interests), 2. The opportunity to compete. If you look at triathlons (which seem to be doing really, really well right now), I think those events offer both. You can run, cycle, and maybe even swim with a lot of friends/people on a weekly basis. And, you can compete (in all kinds of levels of competition - amateur or professional). With skating, you have very little opportunity to spend time training with other people, and you have very few opportunities to compete. And, you have very little publicity. Skating is a great sport. It's the hidden gem in America right now. I honestly think it could be one of the greatest sports on Earth if more people knew about it. But, it's up against a lot of pretty big hurdles right now in terms of drawing new people (and even keeping the current ones). I do think if it ever becomes an Olympic sport, that may be the big stepping stone. And, I do think it will eventually be an Olympic sport, so the future is bright, but it's just going to take some time to get there.

[theDonnybrook]

I think the Powerslide guys that are coming (women too) are really coming for marketing purposes. Scott Aldrige retired from world class track skating and is now in the marketing and development department at Powerslide. They are bringing skaters to increase their exposure, which I think is good for the sport in the US.

As for the number of pros, there is a lot going on in September in other parts of the speed skating world. The list of elite skaters does not include a lot of the inliners looking to make the US or other international teams for the winter Olympics. Joey hasn't skated in a couple of years, but Paul Dyrud and Brianna Cramer are not on the list and they are both in the US right now. A lot of other skaters will still be in Europe after worlds, but I don't recall seeing Stelly in the mix last year, either. I don't know if Vogel would skate the race, it seems like he only occasionally does the marathon events that are closer to his home base in Florida. I am also somewhat surprised not to see more of the sponsored skaters at these events. You think the national championship race would be good exposure for sponsors even if the purse is small for the skaters.

It also shows what some other posts have been discussing concerning the lack of interest in skating and the downward trend of major events. I think what we can really expect in the ranks of the elite class is a downward trend either on numbers or on ability, meaning either no one will skate in those classes or the faster skaters at events in the US won't be like the world class skaters in WIC or at major events like the Berlin Marathon. Your elite skaters will be the guys that train inline as a hobby or as part of ice that do the events for fun and to skate with other guys from all over the country that can finish in 70-80 minutes.

[Alyosha]

Originally Posted by SkateMO

I'm surprised to see the World Class skaters (Powerslide guys) in the Open. That may sound strange to say because we always see a few international elite guys, but I agree with Brian that I'm not sure NSIM is the same race it used to be. It's still fantastic (and in my opinion the best), but I'm not sure it gets the publicity that it used to. Thus, I'm a little surprised the Powerslide guys would make a trip all the way here to race against maybe each other (or a handful of other skaters).

I follow Powerslide on Facebook/Twitter/Vimeo and the vibe I get from them is that they really, genuinely care about this sport. As such, this isn't the Powerslide guys (and girls) coming over to race so much as it is Powerslide as a company saying, "this is a good race and we're going to dedicate some of our money and people to helping it out".

I guess Powerslide also probably cares about winning, too, and they probably see this as a good opportunity to get some wins for their team and, thus, more good press for the company.

[SkateMO]

Originally Posted by Alyosha

I follow Powerslide on Facebook/Twitter/Vimeo and the vibe I get from them is that they really, genuinely care about this sport. As such, this isn't the Powerslide guys (and girls) coming over to race so much as it is Powerslide as a company saying, "this is a good race and we're going to dedicate some of our money and people to helping it out".

I guess Powerslide also probably cares about winning, too, and they probably see this as a good opportunity to get some wins for their team and, thus, more good press for the company.

I agree...and, I actually was thinking the same thing on the marketing piece. Seems like Scott is one of the driving forces behind Powerslide. I think it's great that they're coming and looking to show off the brand and even compete.

Also, I do think you will see registrations go up. I haven't registered and am planning to attend. I rarely register too far in advance for any race (even if it saves money) because I'm always worried about an unforseen injury or work conflict that would keep me from attending. I like to plan on racing (far in advance), but not actually sign up until a week or two before. I know there are other guys not on that list who are planning to attend.

[ThePerambulator]

Would they start multiple divisions together if the numbers for Elite stay this low? I don't think anyone wants to skate in a division with 5 people. In my experience, more skaters = more fun.

[SkateMO]

Originally Posted by ThePerambulator

Would they start multiple divisions together if the numbers for Elite stay this low? I don't think anyone wants to skate in a division with 5 people. In my experience, more skaters = more fun.

I think your idea makes sense, but at the same time, with this being the "National Championship" (for all groups), mixing the different groups changes the dynamics of the race pretty dramatically. For instance, let's say there are only five skaters in the "Elite Masters 30-35" group. If you start that group with the Elite Open or the Vet group, then it could completely affect who wins/loses. If you get a bunch of "mixed groups" in a big field sprint at the end, some of the potential age group winners could be blocked (accidentally) be skaters in different divisions. Moreover, from a drafting persective, if you have skaters that can sit in a big pack and draft the entire race and save their energy for the sprint, then that could be a big change from having to work a lot of the race (should there be a small group).

I totally understand why groups are mixed in races, but honestly, I would rather start and finish with skaters in my same group versus a whole mix of different skaters that I'm not directly competing against. When you start mixing skaters, I think you add more opportunities for falls/crashes into the equation, as well as just opportunites for skaters to be "blocked" accidentally by skaters they're not even competing against.

At Chicago this year, they had no order to the Time Trial portion of the tour. And, as a result, you had pro women skaters mixed in with pro men skaters and vets with masters and open skaters, etc, etc. One of the issues with doing it that way is that some of the pro open skaters caught pro women or pro vet skaters in front of them. And, what happened is that you had faster skaters trying to pass slower skaters on downhills or turns, which just adds opportunity for disaster.

[bjvircks]

At longtrack nationals a couple years ago my wife pulled a whole long race and won. The person BEHIND her the whole race set a national age group record. It shouldn't be happening that way.

[bubbaskate]

I think the field could be interesting this year, especially for the open group - Worlds is going on NOW - Which means people will have a good chance to rest after that, which means they could at the last minute decide (or perhaps be told by their sponsor) To race duluth - So I would probably disagree they might still be in europe.

That being Said, Chicago was WAY down, but, then Indoor Nationals was way in the middle of no where (and thus expensive as heck, I think I spent about 2 grand total on myself just getting there, racing, wheels, etc)

I agree Ty, the incentives just ARENT there, duluth probably has the best out there right now - And as a Pro Master, and a guy who does Indoor as well, I can attest, this is EXPENSIVE as all get out.

We can blame this person or that board or whatever, but until more people own our sport (rather then just the 10 of us who frequent this forum) - You wont see things improve - The biggest issue is exposure for the sport. Thats a question I dont know how to answer, as do alot of us

[bjvircks]

as of Aug 30

marathon 1224
1/2 marathon 238
combined 19

all inliners 1481

rollerski 37
10k run 125
wheelsoff 1/2 93

non-inliners 255



men open 18
wmn opn/mstr 40+ 10
men 30-39 6
men 40-49 19
men 50+ 40
veteran men 60+ 9

A1 48
A2 48
'A' 8

B1 48
B2 43
'B' 13

1 139
2 160
3 166
4 161
5 160
6 128

[bjvircks]

as of 8-30

Elite Open Women / Masters 40+..........10

Conklin Cheryl..........MB.....CA
Echardour Morgane...ON.....CA
Marsolek Stacie........MN
McKey Morgan..........MI
Rice Debbie..........FL
Rose Patricia............CA
Rumpus Katharina...............DE
Schimek Laethisia...............DE
Wong Candy............ON.....CA
Wright Jessica..........FL

Elite Open Men..........18

Arlidge Scott....................DE
Ash Geoffrey..........MN
Doucet Peter...........ON.....CA
Heidelberger Joseph...MN
Lambert Travis.........MN
Lomen Chris.............MN
McKey Nick..............MI
Meisinger Steve........IL
Mejia Luis Carlos...............CO
Pauley Jesse............ON.....CA
Quinn Murphy........IL
Rijhnen Felix......................DE
Sarmiento David.......MN
Shenko John............IL
Stelly Justin.......LA
Vogel Harry.......FL
Walther Matthew.......CA
Williams Morgan........ON.....CA

Elite Masters Men 30-39.......6

Darby Casey............IL
Larson Dale..............MN
Marfori Ron..............MN
Oswald Brian............VA
Peper Andrew.......MN
Velander Lance.........MN

Elite Masters Men 40-49.......19

Blank Gary...............VA
Bovitz Brent.............MN
Cassube Richard.......SC
chrisler ryan.............KS
crysdale John...........CA
Gugiu Gabriel............CA
Hall Benjamin............GA
Kaufman Larry..........IL
Kohn Jeffrey............TX
Laufer Chuck.............WI
Lightwood Hal..........ON.....CA
Mackowski Chris.......TX
Motta Robert...........CA
O'Loughlin Patrick.......WA
Olson Michael...........WI
Overby Daniel...........MN
Schneider Todd........MN
Singh Amrit........NY
Svir Keith................MN

Elite Masters Men 50+.......40

Abrahamson Rick.......MN
ashton thomas.........MN
Baker Barry..............WA
Callas Bill.................MN
Carrigan Greg...........MB.....CA
carvell cale..............IL
Charbonneau John.....MA
Cole Thomas............MI
Collins Daniel............MN
Czaczkowski Richard..ON.....CA
DeZellar Mike...........MN
Field William.............ON.....CA
Garrett John............WI
GAYLE Herb.............ON.....CA
Geisel Brian............GA
Holtan Brian............NY
Jennik Peter.............WI
Johnson Gary...........MN
Landucci Randy........MN
Langley Walter.........WA
Larios Stephen.........TN
Lawler David............MB.....CA
Major Greg.........IL
mckee jim.........CA
Moynihan Peter.........RI
ohearn james...........MN
Plett Randy..............MB.....CA
Reichel Floyd............MB.....CA
Rice Craig W............FL
Roussel Rob.........ON.....CA
Rudnicki Stephen......MN
Schulte John............MN
sherwin john............IL
swan david..............MN
Terwilliger jeff..............MN
Van Duyne Alexander.MI
vesterstein kirk.........MN
Westin Ovid.............MN
Willcox Lenny.............FL
wussler jack.............MN

Advanced Veteran Men 60+.....9

Brumm Russell..........WI
Holm Terry..............MN
Lederle Frank...........MN
Lee Seongbok..........TX
Marcosson Alan........OH
McLinn John.............IL
Rounds George.........MN
Rowe R Lynn............WI
Stroud Robert..........WI

[Alyosha]

Thanks for the update, it's good to see the Bont guys racing here.

I, on the other hand, just crashed my bike on a training ride (head over heels off a 10 foot embankment) and broke my thumb. I'm not 100% sure I'll be racing now. We'll see how things heal I guess.

[bjvircks]

as of Aug 30, Advanced waves

For some reason there are individuals indentified as A or B rather than A1, A2, B1, B2. Correlates with 2011 times. Perhaps only had 2011 time or they registered very very early before the new wave cutoffs were established.

Advanced A1

Ash Greg MN
Bauhs Bryan TX
Bayer Jen MN
Beetcher Matt MN
Brown Sarah MN
Burke William CA
Campbell Todd WI
creager noel MN
Cummings Dennis VA
Daniels Peter MN
Danielson Dayton AB CA
Dunham Chris MN
Edwards Eric CA
Finley Deke MN
Gospel Thomas IN
Gourley Brett WA
Gregor Darrell ON CA
Gyorfi Samuel GA
Hambly Scott MN
Hanson Doug MN
harwell bob IN
Hendrickson Elias MN
Hendrickson Hannah MN
Hendrickson Josiah MN
Johnson Mandi MN
johnstone brian IN
Kaufman Trisha IL
Korsak Andrey MD
McDonald Doug MN
McKey Ron McKey MI
Melanson Matt Melanson MN
Melby Pat MN
Muhne Scott IL
Musielewicz Robert MN
ONEILL KEVIN IL
Raynor Ami WA
Sadowy Brent MN
Schroeder Erich MN
Sniedze Katie MN
sokolowski james MN
Steele Aaron MI
Sundeen Blake MN
THOMSON DAN MN
Toffoli Tony CO
VanderWaal Paul MN
Wolf Brian CA
Xiu Lincheng IN
Yanagita Gary MN

Advanced A2

Altwater John FL
Benzick John MN
Betting Gary ND
Boben Steve MN
Bolger Charles MN
Cannell Kevin KS
carvell margo IL
Crotteau Brian MN
Cunningahm Dan MN
Downing Steve MO
Emmrich Terry WI
Evavold Christopher WI
Foley Dave MN
Grosspietsch Thomas IL
Handeland Jeffrey MN
Heidelberger Joseph MN
Huss Ken MN
Johnson Aaron MN
Johnson Kevin MN
johnson murray MN
JUNKERT KENT TX
McAdam Ken MN
McKillop Lance ON CA
McLaughlin Robert MN
Meyer Rayna MN
mitchell Greg WI
O'Donnell Tim MN
Otte Paul MN
Peck John IL
Rost Ron ON CA
Shimmin Dale MN
Smith Mike MN
Smith Richard MN
smyth eric MN
Sperbeck Troy MN
Stream Pat WI
Streicher Penelope MI
Swanberg Lois MN
Sypura Bill MN
Taccona Guy IL
Tesch Curtis MN
Thaisen Kevin MN
Vaillancourt Dale MN
wagner dean MN
Williams Brian MN
Williams Michael WI
Winiecki Tony MN
ZAPPE DANA OH

Advanced 'A'

Cameron Tim MN
Dimberio Curt MN
holte paul MN
Olson Roger CA
Reidinger Bernie WI
Steinle Richard WI
Wondero Norman MN
Yoki Lon MN

Advanced B1

Anderson David MN
Aufderhar James MN
Aufderhar Jeff MN
Aufderhar Kevin MN
Bachman Jeffrey MN
Beeson Andrew MN
bjorlin kenneth MN
Boynton William MN
Brothers Steve MN
Brown Alan CO
Brown Glenn MN
busby tim MN
clark michael WI
Dumonski Nick ON CA
Dumonski Nicole ON CA
Fellman Craig MN
Felstehausen Kris IL
FRASER allan ON CA
Gilmer Dale MN
Goers Nicholas MN
Gutknecht Sarah MN
Jankowski Robert WI
Kilpo Larry MN
Kissner Jason SD
Kjome Jacob MN
Kleven Daniel MN
Kleven Grant MN
kosobayashi kent MN
Lee Laurie MN
McCance Sandra WI
Merrier Joshua MN
Miller Mike KS
Moore Joel MN
Nelson Ryan MN
Paulsrud Dan WI
Peters Jake WI
Rejsek Joe TX
Sandell Richard MN
Schilling Kevin WI
Steltz Daniel MN
Steltz Jeff WI
Strachota John MN
Swaggert Carl MN
Thulin krissy MN
Tolley Bobby IL
Vircks Brad IA
Waddick Sheryl MN
Wilmot Wayne MN

Advanced B2

Bass Daniel MN
Benning Tyler WI
Blinkman Derek MN
Boen Stephen MN
Boese Steven MN
Capra Nick MN
Carlson Joe MN
Chavez Alex CA
Conger Bill MN
Creedon Joe MN
Crep Jared MN
Diers Kenneth MN
Dombrowsky Eric WI
Ecklund Connie MN
FURLONG MARTIN MN
Garner Scott VA
Greenbush Neil MN
Hickey Tim MN
Hyser Tom NH
Kluempke Kirk MN
Lindauer Cary WI
Martin Chris CO
McKenzie David MN
Otremba Jerry MN
Pedersen Jeff MN
Pedersen Terence SD
Peterson Bruce MN
Peterson Colin MN
Peterson Rob MN
Rosen Daniel NY
Ruggles Blaine MN
Schiller John MN
Schultz Brittney CA
Scott James MN
Sievers Brian MN
Spurr Christine CO
Topley Erin MN
Trees Bryan MN
Velo Marc MN
Wadas Jr. Ollie WI
white james WI
wier patrick MN
Younggren Loren MN

Advanced 'B'

Beeson David AZ
Boehm Hermann IL
Crep Jared MN
Knudson Randy IA
Kownick Nancy IL
McChesney Todd MN
Morgan David IL
Retzer Dan IL
Silker john IL
smolin Julie CA
Standaert Paul MN
Stich Mike MN
Titus Nicholas MN

[bjvircks]

as of 9-3

Elite Open Women / Masters 40+..........12.....(+2)

Conklin Cheryl..........MB.....CA
Echardour Morgane...ON.....CA
..Kaufman Trisha........IL
..Larson-Dickson Christina........MN
Marsolek Stacie........MN
McKey Morgan..........MI
Rice Debbie..............FL
Rose Patricia............CA
Rumpus Katharina...............DE
Schimek Laethisia................DE
Wong Candy.............ON......CA
Wright Jessica............FL


Elite Open Men..........22.....(+4)

Arlidge Scott....................DE
Ash Geoffrey...........MN
..Belchos Austin...........AB.....CA
Doucet Peter...........ON.....CA
..guzman andres...........FL
Heidelberger Joseph...MN
..izquierdo Joseph William...........FL
Lambert Travis.........MN
Lomen Chris.............MN
McKey Nick...............MI
Meisinger Steve.........IL
Mejia Luis Carlos...............CO
..Numerick Bill...........OH
Pauley Jesse............ON.....CA
Quinn Murphy............IL
Rijhnen Felix......................DE
Sarmiento David.......MN
Shenko John.............IL
Stelly Justin............LA
Vogel Harry.............FL
Walther Matthew.......CA
Williams Morgan........ON.....CA


Elite Masters Men 30-39.......8.....(+2)

Darby Casey............IL
..Dunham Chris..........MN
Larson Dale..............MN
Marfori Ron..............MN
Oswald Brian............VA
Peper Andrew............MN
..Rodriguez Craig........CO
Velander Lance.........MN


Elite Masters Men 40-49.......23.....(+4)

Blank Gary...............VA
Bovitz Brent.............MN
Cassube Richard.......SC
chrisler ryan.............KS
crysdale John...........CA
Gugiu Gabriel..........CA
Hall Benjamin.........GA
..Henning John...............MN
Kaufman Larry..........IL
..Kirby Norm...............CO
Kohn Jeffrey............TX
Laufer Chuck...........WI
Lightwood Hal..........ON.....CA
Mackowski Chris.......TX
Motta Robert............CA
O'Loughlin Patrick.....WA
Olson Michael...........WI
Overby Daniel...........MN
..Rojo Chris...............CA
Schneider Todd........MN
Singh Amrit.............NY
Svir Keith................MN
..Thomas Conrade...............MN


Elite Masters Men 50+.......41.....(+1)

Abrahamson Rick......MN
ashton thomas.........MN
Baker Barry..............WA
Callas Bill...............MN
Carrigan Greg...........MB.....CA
carvell cale..............IL
Charbonneau John.....MA
..Clare Bob..............VA
Cole Thomas............MI
Collins Daniel...........MN
Czaczkowski Richard..ON.....CA
DeZellar Mike...........MN
Field William............ON.....CA
Garrett John............WI
GAYLE Herb.............ON.....CA
Geisel Brian............GA
Holtan Brian............NY
Jennik Peter.............WI
Johnson Gary...........MN
Landucci Randy........MN
Langley Walter.........WA
Larios Stephen.........TN
Lawler David............MB.....CA
Major Greg...............IL
mckee jim................CA
Moynihan Peter.........RI
ohearn james...........MN
Plett Randy..............MB.....CA
Reichel Floyd............MB.....CA
Rice Craig W............FL
Roussel Rob.............ON.....CA
Rudnicki Stephen......MN
Schulte John............MN
sherwin john............IL
swan david..............MN
Terwilliger jeff...........MN
Van Duyne Alexander.MI
vesterstein kirk.........MN
Westin Ovid.............MN
Willcox Lenny............FL
wussler jack.............MN


Advanced Veteran Men 60+.....9.....(nc)

Brumm Russell.........WI
Holm Terry..............MN
Lederle Frank...........MN
Lee Seongbok..........TX
Marcosson Alan........OH
McLinn John.............IL
Rounds George.........MN
Rowe R Lynn............WI
Stroud Robert...........WI

[gopherfan]

Originally Posted by ThePerambulator

Would they start multiple divisions together if the numbers for Elite stay this low? I don't think anyone wants to skate in a division with 5 people. In my experience, more skaters = more fun.

This is more a question of a skater's strengths and preferences. When in a larger field with pro open skaters, I'm basically resigned to just trying to stay with the pack. I'm not strong enough to attack a large field of pro skaters. An example was at the Canada Day IM this year. Constant Montpellier made a hard charge to escape the pack half way through the race, but we dug deep to run him down. I knew (and later George N said the exact same thing) that it was time to counter attack and make Constant pay. The thing is, you look around and see Leo F, Jesse Pauley, George N, Jerome C, Juan Diego, Morgan Williams, etc, and you realize you'd just be setting yourself up to be dropped when a counter to your counter inevitably comes (of course, they are all thinking the same thing so that counter tends to not happen). The race inevitably comes down to a sprint (which does not favor me). It also meant an easily catch-able solo break by Il Peloton's Sergio Almeralla won the race. I like going to smaller races or separate division starts so I can try different strategies and be more aggressive without a huge number of pro skaters just waiting to punish you for taking a risk. As another example, a few of us from the DC area have made the Trexlertown Master/Veteran Division Races into an opportunity to work as a team and work on attacks and tactics. This became necessary due to the JKL team taking advantage of team vs individual within the races. These are smaller races on a course that is more technical than I like, but I enjoy them because I learn a lot about racing and team tactics without automatically being dropped.

[Spencer.Berry]

Elite Men's and Women's Results:
http://live.mtecresults.com/race/lea...Marathon-Elite

Cool to see several SkateLogForum men and women right up there with some of the world's best skaters!

[73skater]

I was unable to attend this year, but looked at the results. It appears the times were notably slower this year. Head wind? Road conditions? I'd like to hear a few recaps about how the race went. I missed it very much this year. Congrats to everyone who notched another NSIM in their racing resume.