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 The crop had so much cream in it that staggered starts were necessary for the pros and the advanced skaters at the 5th annual Northshore Marathon, Saturday, September 16, 2000. Professional teams, speedy independents, and club squads swelled the ranks under the start banner for a 7:30 a.m. start under clear, sunny skies. With no cross-drafting rules in effect, men and women were left to their own devices to battle headwinds of 10 to 15 mph. Radio listeners could tune into live coverage of the event with color commentary by Lauri Muir and race updates from lead helicopter were beamed to the finish line so that the assembled crowd could follow the event from wire to wire. Salomon's Tristan Loy broke away with Verducci's Chad Hedrick and the strong pack decided to engage in stop-and-go skating instead of concerted chasing. The two built their lead to four minutes by race's end. The pro women showed many a man a thing or two about how to go fast with grace. Jessica Smith and Kimberly Derrick were radiant as they broke the tape together and inscribed their names into the record books for evermore. News Home |