First Place Female in 2004 Long Beach Inline Marathon Is Only 11 Years Old

Top 10 Finishers (Men and Women) in the 2004 Long Beach Inline Marathon

Alexandra Harris, skating in the under 15 category, finished the race a full two minutes before the second female skater. Judges initially ruled that the 11-year-old from Weyers Cave, VA, had mistakenly started the race with a wave of professional men skaters, so they disqualified her for "wave jumping." But later, they changed their minds and she was awarded first place.

Skaters in most marathons are not allowed to start in waves of skaters faster than themselves. By doing so, they get an advantage because they are able to save energy by drafting behind faster skaters.

Kelly Martinez, of Cartagena, Columbia, was the second female to cross the finish line. She was skating in the pro women's category.

The men's race was won by recent high school graduate Joey Mantia of Ocala, Florida. The finish was close with the top ten crossing the line within three seconds or each other.

The racers apparently had some trouble near the start of the race when they got snarled in the Long Shore Marathon Bike Tour, which began shortly before the inline marathon --- this according to a report on Peter's Inline Racing Page.

About 590 skaters participated in this year's Long Beach Inline Marathon. That's about the same as last year.

So far, there's no word on whether the marathon will be back in 2005. Dan Joyce, the race director, has said that depends on whether new sponsors can be found for the race. Salomon and K2 pulled out this year.

Top Finishers:

Men:

1st: Joey MANTIA, Ocala, FL USA, 01:12:29.76

2nd: Lewis Dane, Salt Lake City, UT01:12:30.85

3rd: Wouter Hebbrecht, Evergem, Belgium, 01:12:30.93

4th: Shane Dobbin, Moorooka, Australia, 01:12:30.99

5th: Adam Miller, Independence, MO USA, 01:12:31.12

6th: Jordan Nelson, Colorado Springs, CO USA, 01:12:31.77

7th: Christopher Creveling, New York, NY USA, 01:12:32.40

8th: Jono Gorman, Roswell, GA USA, 01:12:32.590

9th: Jon Elliot, Huntington Beach, CA USA, 01:12:32.76

10th: Joshua Wood, Sacramento, CA USA; 01:12:32.810

Women:

1st: Alexandra Harris, Weyers Cave, VA, 1:21:12.25

2nd: Kelly Martinez, Cartagena, COL, 1:23:14.51

3rd: Briggyte Mendez, New York, NY USA, 1:24:41.54

4rd: Kimi Butler, Sacramento, CA USA, 1:24:42.27

5th: Mallory Pracale, North Las Vegas, NV USA, 1:24:42.41

6th: Erin Di Julio, Wakefield, RI USA, 1:24:42.74

7th: Skylar McCormick, Verona, VA USA, 1:24:43.06

8th: Kristen St Nicholas, Behemia, NY USA, 1:24:43.12

9th: Peggy Girgenti, Anaheim, CA USA, 1:24:43.22

10th: Kimberly Foster, Covington, CA USA, 1:24:43.480

Related Reading

• Harris was first after all!

• Martinez Waits, Then Wins

• Peter's Inline Racing Page

...

Copyright © 2006 by Robert Burnson