Category Archives: Speed

Calgary hosting inline championships

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The last time Calgary hosted the national competition was in 1997. Tyler Congdon, head coach of Calgary’s inline club and vice-president of speedskating for Roller Sports Canada, says finalists from July’s event will head to the world championships in Colombia in October.

Speed competitions were first held in Canada in the 1970s on roller skates. Even with the switch to inline skates enabling sprinters to reach speeds upwards of 50 kilometres per hour, Canadians are small players on the global racing scene.

Read more here: Calgary hosting inline championships

Photo from Grant Black, Calgary Herald, Calgary Herald

Montreal & Toronto skaters finish on podium at Eastern Seaboard Series

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A group of skaters from Montreal & Toronto raced in this past weekend’s Eastern Seaboard Series in Trexlertown.

Herb Gayle won the Pro Masters & Veterans race while Stephan Charron placed 4th in the race, good enough for 3rd in the Pro Masters category.

Heb Gayle (4th in green) & Stephane Charron (6th in green) race in the Pro Masters & Veterans category- photo from Peter Doucet/ SpeedSkateWorld

Brigitte Beaudy won the Pro Master women’s race.

Peter Doucet topped the Pro Senior men’s race, beating out top US skaters on his way to the top of the podium. Doucet was involved in a number of breakaways.

In the Pro Senior women’s race, Morgane Echardour came about 1/2 a skate shy of stepping on the 3rd step of the podium. Echardour drove a hard pace for the women, causing many skaters to drop out of the lead group. However, Echardour came short in the sprint, settling for 4th place.

Canadian skaters together after the race- photo from SpeedSkateWorld

Olivier Jean, spokesperson for the 24hr Inline Montreal

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“I’ve been a fan of inline skating for over fifteen years,” explained the spokesperson, Olivier Jean. “Inline skating is way more than a hobby, it’s also a training option that helped us capture the gold at the Vancouver Olympics. I’m really proud to be spokesperson for this unique event held in Canada. I’d like to invite everyone to live a memorable experience by taking on the challenge of the 24hr Inline Montreal!”

Read more here: Olivier Jean, spokesperson for the 24hr Inline Montreal

Sergio Almeralla & Morgane Echardour Golden on Canada Day

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The Canada Day Marathon was held in ideal conditions in Cambridge on July 1st.

With good participant support including skaters from Quebec, Ottawa, and the United States, this year’s Canada Day Marathon was another addition to the streak of the well supported marathon held in favorable conditions.

Race organizer Jim Mallard & his family supported by Lenny Porter & his family, Wayne Burrett, and other hard-working volunteers put a good effort to put together this yearly event.

Ottawa’s Sergio Almeralla- photo Peter Doucet/ SpeedSkateWorld.com

Ottawa’s Sergio Almeralla & Mississauga’s Morgane Echardour topped the competition in the 42km marathon.

Almeralla, who represented Canada at the World Roller Speed Skating Championships, broke away from the lead group early on and never looked back on his way to victory. Helping Almerally secure a commanding lead was a tentative and hesitant pack that couldn’t organize a chase. Finishing 2nd in a sprint was Jesse Pauley. Newcomer Constant Montpellier came in 3rd.

Morgane Echardour, who has also represented Canada at the World Championships, stayed in the lead pack for most of the race, finishing ahead Shannon Hegarty to win the women’s race. Hegarty set a personal-best marathon time on her way to earning the silver medal. Candy Wong, from Richmond Hill, placed 3rd.