Texas Road Rash: Can the Sports Capital of Texas Keep the Road Rash Growing?

The 2005 Texas Road Rash

Can the Sports Capital of Texas Keep the Road Rash Growing?

By Robert "Just the Factoids" Burnson

The Texas Road Rash inline marathon is the product of a happy coincidence.

Just as Austin speed skater Richard Littrell was looking for a site for an inline race, the nearby city of Round Rock was reinventing itself as the "Sports Capital of Texas."

"It was kind of kismet," says Littrell.

Littrell had been scouting out Austin for an existing event that might be interested in adding an inline race. But he couldn't find one with a suitable racecourse.

Round Rock Signs On

So in the summer of 2003, he approached Round Rock and found not only a good venue, but an eager partner.

"We wanted the event," says Round Rock marketing specialist Terri Waggoner. "As Sports Capital of Texas, our goal is to bring in lots of amateur events."

Round Rock formally declared itself Sports Capital of Texas only last year. But it has been working on its transformation for some time.

Already, the city of 79,000 is host to more than a dozen sporting events. Some are put on by the city. Others are put on by outside promoters or sports organizations.

The city liked Littrell's idea so much that it decided to put on the inline marathon itself.

Name by Committee

It put together a committee to organize the event. One of the first things the committee did was chose a name.

"I was on the committee," Waggoner says. " We went online and looked up words that went along with inline skating. And we found 'road rash,' which was funny, and we thought, What better reason to come to Texas than to cut yourself up."

And so, the Texas Road Rash was born.

2005 Texas Road Rash

• inline marathon, 16 K and 1 K Youth Race
• 7:30 a.m., March 20
• Settlers Park, Round Rock, Texas (15 miles north or Austin)