Ultraskate 2010 Seattle

Skateboarders shoot for 200+ miles in 24 hours

(Seattle, WA) -- In contrast to such large, epic events as Seattle's Rock n' Roll Marathon, which is heavily sponsored, organized, and sanctioned, there's a little-known but growing group of skateboarders in Seattle over the last few years who've taken part in "Ultraskating."

The typical ultraskater mentality is much like that of a marathoner -- they are dedicated to pushing themselves across vast distances, often motivated by nothing more than a desire to achieve their own personal bests. The only difference: 4 wheels and a board, instead of running shoes.




The world's first Ultraskate occurred in Seattle in 2006 and was originally a small grassroots fundraising effort for the LIVESTRONG foundation. Since then the event has been slowly developing a niche group of devotees, spread across the world.




On Friday morning at 8 a.m., a small group of Seattle ultraskaters will descend on Greenlake park with their boards, food, drink, and friends to kick off their event. Their "personal bests" can vary dramatically, but each skater determines their own -- for example, of the three participants in Seattle, one intends to skate 100 miles, another 200 miles, and yet another is shooting for the World record: 250 miles in 24 hours.




And just hours after they've begun, another larger group in Hoofddorp, Holland, will begin pushing for another 24 hours. The event traditionally involves skateboarders across the globe, loosely synchronizing their start times on the same weekend. They use GPS devices and lap counters to keep track of mileage, and supporting friends help them make it through the brutal, sleep-deprived overnight hours, until the sun rises again.

For more info, visit:

Ultraskater.com
Pavedwave.org

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• James Peters
• Utraskate
• Seattle
• Greenlake
• Longboard
• Skate

[Coco1039]

buenísimo chicos! un abrazo desde buenos aires, argetina!