TV 6 Newscast of the Grand Marais Rollerski Marathon

Tue, Oct  1, 2013 - By TV 6

TV 6 Newscast of the Grand Marais Rollerski Marathon

GRAND MARAIS -- An early morning start on Sunday for roller skiers as they headed on a scenic route on H-58 along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Many say it's the best spot to roller ski.

"To have this long of a stretch--the pavements smooth, it's very flat; not crowned. You don't have much traffic on it. It's very scenic. Most of it, the wind is blocked by the trees," said Milan Baic, racer.

The Third Annual Grand Marais Roller Ski Marathon is one of the few events in the U.P. catered to those who roller ski.

Participants from out of state travel to be a part of it. For them it's not just a race, it's part of their training for cross country skiing.

"Pretty much skied by myselfmost of the way, but just took it easy until I got about half way out and then tried to push it a little bit on the way back, and see how it went. Pushed it the end," said Erica O' Hearin, racer.

H-58 provides an ideal venue to train for the ski season when there's no snow on the ground. It's newly paved, smooth, with hills and curves.

Those participating can choose from two distances--either the 25k or the 50k.

"Up until the turnaround point and then we kind of put it in cruise mode and rolled back to the start," said Tony, racer. "I did pretty well the first half and I overshot the turnaround point," said Randy, racer.

Participants went home with trophies, prizes, and more. This year the number of participants were down. A total of 12 competed in the race.

"Even though our numbers have been small, the enthusiam of the racers has made putting this on worth it. We have really appreciated that," said Chris Lawless, Co-Director.

They're hoping more people find out about the Marathan and come out next year.