Paige Desmond
Four locals participated in the 13th-annual North Shore Inline Marathon on Saturday in Duluth.
“It was a great time,” enthused Bob Tkachuk, who participated for the second time in the 26.2-mile race, which attracts people from children to great-grandfathers.
Along with Tkachuk, who finished with a time of 1:52:52 to best his previous time by 35 minutes, locals Ashley Gibbs, Lavana Fox, and Armand Jourdain Sr. also took part in the Duluth marathon.
“I don’t think that [my time] will drop like that every time,” mused Tkachuk.
Gibbs achieved a personal best time of 1:30:52.
Tkachuk said inline skating is catching on as a sport because it appeals to so many different types of people and athletes.
“It’s a mixed bag,” he said of the competitors, who ranged from professionals to amateurs.
Likening it more to cross-country skiing than ice skating, Tkachuk said inline skating is easier on the joints than running and attracts hockey players, cyclists, and every other type of athlete in between.
The skaters enjoyed ideal conditions for Saturday’s trek, with cool temperatures and very little wind to cause resistance.
“There was very little wind,” noted Tkachuk, adding the conditions allowed for speedier times.
Tkachuk first was introduced to the sport by Jourdain—and has been hooked ever since.
“I always thought, ahh,” Tkachuk admitted of his original skepticism. “Then I heard about all these different races.”
The four locals train here, skating out near the airport where there is less traffic and smooth pavement.
In preparation for this year’s event though, Tkachuk said he spent more time cycling than skating—and felt all the better for it compared to last year when he skated more to train.
“I didn’t train as much because I was bicycling more,” he explained, noting his participation in the “100-Mile” fundraising cycling trek from here to Orr, Mn. and back late last month.
“This is a total body soreness,” he said.
“It’s not like the acute pain of running sore. [Inline skating] is a little more forgiving,” he laughed.
Tkachuk added one should be able to participate in the sport “as long as you’re in half-decent shape.”
Although inline skating is not a sport you might hear about all the time, the four locals are hoping it will catch on here.
“We try to promote it,” Tkachuk enthused. “It’s a sport that’s legitimate and out there.”
He might be right. Thunder Bay will hold its first inline skating marathon next July.
