The Voice from the Pacific Northwest Newsletter
St.
Paul Marathon, Aug. 21,2005....continued
If you still have not decided which marathon to skate this
season, here is one for you. The St. Paul marathon is in its
second season, offering a closed, fast and undulating course
along the Mississippi river banks. Photographer Darlene Prois
captured the fabulous course with her lense.
ESPN's "SportsCenter" to broadcast LIVE from
the Saint Paul Inline Marathon
The Saint Paul Inline Marathon has been selected to be
the broadcast site for the August 21 airing of ESPN's SportsCenter.
The marathon represents Minnesota as part of "SportsCenter
Across America," as ESPN visits 50 states in 50 days this
summer. "We couldn't be more thrilled to present our marathon
to millions of ESPN’s viewers” said marathon co-founder Mike
Cofrin, "this elevates the event to an entirely new level".
Organizers
are expecting 2,500 skaters, one third of which will be skating
in their first in-line marathon. Most of the participants are
from the Twin Cities which is "only fitting" according
to co-founder Marilyn Franzen "because the sport started
here 25 years ago this year, this event is truly unique to Minnesota."
According to Mayor Randy Kelly, “with our ever increasing
presence as a world class sports destination, we welcome ESPN
as we Skate Saint Paul. In fact, you can count me among the
2,500 skaters!”
An
inline marathon is an achievable challenge for skaters from
all walks of life: participants range in age from 13 to over
80, most hail from the Twin Cities but the event draws skaters
from over 38 states and six countries. “I signed-up for the
marathon today, it’s my first one” said 42 year old Jim Bastyr
of Blaine, Minn. as he chuckled, “but first I need to pull my
9 year old skates out of the closet”. In addition to a large
number of local skaters, North America’s top professional teams
will compete.
For inline marathoners, the question is not “if you can
do it”, but rather, “how long will it take?”, according to Franzen,
“26.2 miles of fun is our slogan because, people love the experience
of gliding through the full marathon distance, it’s a lot easier
on the bones than running.” The average skater completes a marathon
in 2.5 hours.
The
course winds along the Mississippi River on Warner and Shepard
Roads in Saint Paul and ends with a sprint up Sibley to scenic
Mears Park. The Saint Paul Inline Marathon is ranked the #2
inline marathon in the United States. Organizers have partnered
with the Cancer Kids Fund of Children's Hospitals and Clinics
to raise funds for the charity.
Register
today at St.
Paul Inline Marathon
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