Marathon Roller de Montréal is pleased to welcome you to our 8th edition, on Saturday 13th July. Rain or Shine.
We will be skating on the PMG Technologies automobile test track, 100 rue du Landais, Blainville, about half an hour's drive north of Montreal. This track is a 3-km loop with a few technical turns. The track area is wide-open, allowing everyone on site to continuously watch the progress of the entire race.
The most courageous skaters will be able to skate three races during the event: The classic marathon, a 3.0 km time trial, and a half-marathon.
Race schedule:
· Marathon 42km ( 14 laps - 42.0 km) : 9h00
· Time trial 3.0 km : 10h45
· Half-marathon (7 laps - 21.0 km) : 11h30
As in previous years, timing will be operated by Marathon Skating International. If you own an AMB chip, you will be able to use it for the races.
Register online
Katonah, NY, 11 March 2013- From the one-hour challenge that opened the season in Quebec City to the 100-km marathon that closed the season on Sylvan Lake, the 2012/2013 marathon skating season provided many opportunities for long distance, pack-style racing, from: Two new events were part of the schedule this year, the 1st Annual Saskatoon Great Icescape Marathon and the Champlain Islands Ice Marathon. The efforts of the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club were met with great success. The organizers anticipate an even bigger and better event next year.
The first-ever speedskating marathons held on Lake Champlain’s City Bay were also a success despite a snowstorm on the day prior to the weekend of racing. Organized by MSI with the support of the local chamber of commerce, participants and local merchants alike gave enthusiastic reviews of events both on and off the ice. Expect this to have a permanent place on the annual schedule, and as with Saskatoon, marathon skaters can look forward to a bigger and greater event next year!
Another first this year was the US National Marathon and North American Marathon, indoors, at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Congratulations go to Race Director and organizer Olu Sijuwade. Last year Olu organized the first-ever marathon on the Pettit's 400-meter oval, proving that marathon skating has a place at this historic speedskating venue. Read or listen to radio WBUR's story about this year's marathon skating at the Pettit,
Each event this year was unique with its own special venue and local flavor of the host town or city. Common to all the events, though, are the skaters. They travel great distances for a weekend of skating, and they do it again and again each month and each year. While in the process of enjoying the sport, camaraderie develops, and for many, the bonds grow stronger each skating season. Yes the skating is fantastic, it is physically challenging, and it enhances our well-being. But it is the community of skaters and volunteers that makes each event a success, something that makes us return for more next year.
We close the 2012/2013 season with a view of the MSI speedskating community, photos of families and friends, who love to join together to share this great sport of marathon speedskating. If we missed capturing you on film this time, we will try to get you next year! Have a safe and wonderful summer. See you on the ice next season!
Sincerely,
Pat Kelly, Charles Beaudoin, and Jake Maarse (from left to right) compete in the first-ever Champlain Islands Ice Marathon. Pat took first, Jake second, and Charles third place in the 42km race.
(Photo by Diana Hanks, who skated her first race with MSI in Sunday's 5-km)2012/2013 Season Completes with Nine Marathons
- races held on refrigerated 400-meter ovals, both indoors (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and out (Quebec City, Lake Placid, and Saskatoon);
- to a park in Ottawa, on a temporary oval built not once, but twice because of a January thaw; and
- despite record-breaking warm temperatures and extreme weather associated with climate change, lakes were natural ice venues for four marathons in Canada and the US (Big Rideau Lake, Ontario; Lake Champlain, Vermont; Edmonton; and Sylvan Lake, Alberta).
President, MSI
(left: Charles Beaudoin, Christine Caron, and Fernand Caron, after the 42km in North Hero, VT. This family regularly travels to Austria for a week of skating on Lake Weissensee. When they're not on the ice, you'll find them together on inline skates, especially the Montreal 24hr.
Another family in the MSI family are the Hofereks:
Tonya, Dusan (behind the camera for this photo) and their son Zari. All arms are raised in celebration of Zari completing a 5-km race at the Champlain Islands Marathon. Racing under a magnificent sky, a view of the Green Mountains of Vermont on the horizon, and clean, crisp, fresh air: what better family activity could there be than this? 
The MSI family is filled with friends. Happy to be together again are three from Ontario: Kelly Goody, John Ambrose, and Tonya Hoferek. Having just completed the 21-km, the smiles and laughter would last into the evening during MSI's banquet at the North Hero House, a short skate from the oval and the scene of the 2013 Champlain Islands Ice Marathon.
Friends for over 40 years, as boys these three went to school, skied, and ran together. But they never skated together until MSI's event in Vermont this year. Posing next to the MSI banner, outside of the North Hero Chamber of Commerce and Champlain Islands Ice Marathon headquarters, from left to right: Dave Lustgarten, MSI President and Race Director Neal Hundt, and Craig Stevens. Sunday's 5-km was Dave's first MSI race. While Craig has skated MSI events on Lake Morey, the 21-km on Lake Champlain was his first long-distance event. (Photo by Nicole Cherry)
