Tahiti Nui Roller Marathon 2002

Tahiti Roller Marathon
Tahiti Iti, November 11, 2002
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After a brief intermission last year, TWINCAM/Salomon racer Eddy Matzger took back his reign of the Tahiti Nui Roller Marathon. He defeated two "metropolitans" from Team Salomon, Pierre Sohier and Richard Deniaud, with whom he played a deadly serious game of poker on wheels.

Eddy launched tons of attacks to test, tire, and show who is the King of Inline in French Polynesia. Strongly supported by the Tahitian public, Matzger showed his lust for fun by adorning his helmet with a homemade hat made of palm fronds.

The fourth edition of the Tahiti Roller Marathon was a riot of color on wheels, fragrant and fun and smoother than ever. Moved from Moorea to the remote side of Tahiti Iti, the marathon enjoyed the close cooperation between local officials in Vairao, the Polynesian Sports Federation, and Way Beyond.

The course brought skaters back and forth twice along a heavenly stretch of road with only one short reminder that life in paradise can sometimes be rough too.

The race will surely be remembered for its strong Polynesian participation, where local skaters finished in the mix for the money and the bragging rights at having mastered such a difficult discipline in so short a time and taken so many foreigners to the task.

Two inliners from metropolitan France came to represent Team Salomon and try to defend their title from the year before. All work and no play prior to the marathon, it was Eddy who was obliged to show them how to prepare for the big event: walk in the forest in the days prior to the marathon for a total of 25 hours!

Nathalie Barbotin from Team Salomon met her American opposition and succeeded in outdueling them for a resounding sprint victory over American Kimberley Moore. Las Vegan Lindsay mounted the podium in third. BR>
All skaters battled heat and dehydration but came across the finish with smiles bright enough to light up the night. Many came simply to finish, others with designs on the hand-sculpted pearls that were won as prizes.

Off the line	Raiatean rollers	Metro skaters
Turnaround	Made it!	International sprint
Vegas roller	Nathalie wins	Susanucci
Right on Valdez	Salomon drummers	Tackett arrival
Finish flair	Bora girl	Victory podium

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