Team SAFE Rolls at Northshore

Heavy in numbers as always, Team SAFE skated well at the 7th Northshore Inline Marathon in Duluth, MN on Sept. 18, 2004. With more than 3,400 skaters, Northshore is the biggest inline marathon in the Western Hemisphere, and the competition is fast and furious.

The day dawned clear and perfect for racing -- though perhaps a bit chilly for the California contingent -- with temps in the low 50s and winds at dead calm. The straight, 26.2 mile point-to-point course is unusually dangerous at the start, with fields of tar snakes that can grab wheels and knock skaters down like bowling pins; yet most of the SAFE skaters made it through with skin intact.

SAFE skater Dennis Humphrey emerged victorious in a large and talented Pro Veteran pack. Humphrey did his best to breakaway, but the pack knew they couldn't let him get away. After relentless attacks, he still had enough left to take the field sprint in a time of 1:16. Skating in one of the biggest groups out there, Pro Masters skater Paul Lomangino got caught in a nasty pile up, yet still managed to get up and finish in 1:25.

The Pro Men's pack took off like jackrabbits from the start, with 4 men staying out in front of the hundreds of contenders. Adam Miller worked his way up through the massive packs to finish in a blistering 1:04, while SAFE skaters Rocky Dufrene, Dan Christman, Ricky Blas and Brian Talley worked together to finish strong in 1:13.

In the Pro Women's pack, SAFE sprint star Sara Sayasane, just back from the World Championships in Italy, was suffering from a high fever and could not maintain her usual blistering pace. In her first elite marathon, 14-year-old Nastassia Hamor kept up with the big girls, to finish with Sayasane and Arica Armitage in 1:25.

It was brains over muscle in the Pro Masters Women's pack, with more teasing attacks than serious attempts to get away. No one was about to let SAFE skater Kim Perkins get off the front, but with the tactical help of Mechele Busby, she finally got some distance about 5 miles from the finish, only to get stuck in a dense field of male advanced skaters and get nipped at the line by Peggy Girgenti to finish 2nd.

In the Advanced race, Dennis Cummings showed a strong return to marathons with a time of 1:18, taking 2nd in the 55-59 age group. Christine VanHunnik also skated well, turning in a time of 1:25 to take 2nd in her highly competitive age group.

TEAM SAFE RESULTS, NORTHSHORE INLINE MARATHON Sept. 18th, 2004

PRO MEN
9. Adam Miller 1:04:57.6
17. Rocky Dufrene 1:13:28.2
20. Dan Christman 1:13:29.5
25. Ricky Blas 1:13:37.5
26. Brian Talley 1:13:37.7

PRO MASTERS MEN
53. Paul Lomangino 1:25:51.7

PRO VETERAN MEN
1. Dennis Humphrey 1:16:23.9

PRO WOMEN
12. Sara Sayasane 1:25:11.6
15. Nastassia Hamor 1:25:14.8
16. Arica Armitage 1:25:17.7

PRO MASTERS WOMEN
2. Kim Perkins 1:24:03.4
8. Mechele Busby 1:25:05.9

OPEN (Advanced)
2nd, Women 25-29: Christine Van Hunnik 1:25:49
2nd, Men 55-59: Dennis Cummings 1:18:46
20th, Men 55-59: Paul Sargenti 1:49:46