Silver Strand Half Marathon Coronado, CA - Nov. 16, 2003

Skaters competed along the same scenic course as the runners, starting on Coronado Island. After passing the historic Hotel del Coronado, racers proceed south on the Silver Strand, a narrow strip of land that separates the San Diego Bay from the Pacific Ocean. Upon entering the community of Imperial Beach, skaters made a few turns through residential streets before doing an out-and-back loop on the Naval Radio Receiving Facility. This was a unique opportunity to pass through a coastal property that is otherwise closed to the general public. The final stretch was long, wide, and straight with the finish line in front of the Imperial Beach Pier. Maximum rise on the course was no more than 20 feet.

The race began with a single mass start. Skaters started at a conservative pace in order to test the pavement conditions. After a mile, the lead skaters picked up the pace gradually. Randy Bowman (Pyro), Patrick Naylor (Bont), and Scott Wolf (Safe) developed a small gap. The gap increased slowly, but surely, as these three attempted to stay ahead.

Randy and Scott took turns pulling in order to maintain their lead. It appeared as if Patrick was barely hanging in there. So around mile 5 when Patrick's turn came up and he refused to pull, Randy punished him with a hard sprint. Scott pursued, but Patrick was forced to drop.

Randy and Scott stayed together into Imperial Beach. Randy made his move at mile 10 in the NRRF on one of only two short hills on the course. His strong uphill sprint against what was a headwind at that point was too much for Scott. Every person was on their own from there to the finish.

Randy Bowman sprinted hard down the final stretch to please the spectators, finishing in 36:18. Scott Wolf finished less than a minute later. Patrick Naylor managed to stay ahead of the chase pack to finish third.

With the mass start, the women competed with the men. The top skaters ended up in different packs, which ultimately determined the outcome of the race. Mechele Busby came out victorious, crossing the finish line at 40:46. Stacey Eldridge (Bont) finished second, and Vicki Heagerty third.

The Silver Strand Half Marathon benefits the Challenged Athletes Foundation and featured numerous wheelchair competitors and physically challenged athletes. Like inline racing, there aren't many of these events, so it was a pleasure to see these sports showcased together.

Koz Enterprises added inline skating to the half marathon this year and warmly welcomed skaters. SDSE helped Koz by providing advice and heavy planning. The end result was a successful event. We look forward to next year's Silver Strand Half Marathon, and hopefully more inline events in San Diego.

Howard
SDSE-IR