Inline skating marathon set to roll

By Abby Wucherer, Daily Register

You've probably heard of running a marathon, but what about inline skating one?

On Sunday, one of Wisconsin's largest inline skating marathons will kick off at 8 a.m. from the starting line near Boeck Road on Highway O west of Portage.

The event is in its fourth year, and participation has been on the rise every year, according to Tim Allen, director of marketing and public relations for Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation. WSDC organizes the American Family Insurance Badger State Games, which includes the inline race in addition to other events in the Madison area.

"The main reason the race was put in Portage was that the individuals who came to us with the idea to stage an inline race were from the Portage area," Allen said. "The community is very supportive of it. The roads are nice, it's very scenic along the river, and it brings people into Portage to see what the community has to offer."

The race course is 26.2 miles long and follows Highway O until Peterson Road, where the course loops around and doubles back to the start, taking race participants up and down the Wisconsin River.

Allen was unsure how blocked the roads would be for the race. He said that either the roads along the race route would be completely barricaded, or they would be down to one lane.

"It is somewhat of an inconvenience, but it's really only for three or four hours that day, and people can come out and watch a pretty cool sport," he said, adding that he expects between 1,500 and 2,000 spectators to cheer on skaters.

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