I took this picture from inside the car while moving at 30+mph and it was the only one that came out. It is part of the parking lot (which is very large ) that we will be using for skaters to park their cars prior to the event, provided they arrive early enough. Otherwise you will have to walk in. Those times will be posted in plenty of time. Just keep coming back! Oh and more pictures will follow.
I have received a few emails and phone calls wondering what the course is like. Although we are still in the "approval" stages, the City of Rancho Cordova is behind us 100% and we couldn't ask for anything more than that. We have filed for all of the necessary permits and the people in charge on our end are making things happen quickly.
Currently our course is a 6 1/2 mile loop. That means for those that will be skating a complete marathon, you will have to complete 4 laps. The course is flat and there are no hills and there is no apparent elevation gain. I would have to say the course currently is about 50/50 as to smooth or rough. Fifty-percent of the course being smoother than the other fifty-percent. So it doesn't sound too hard or too challenging... ahhh but did I mention the turns? There are approximately 18 turns to this course. Some of them are slight turns, others are u-turns and others are snake-turns where you turn left first and then go right. There is also plenty of straightaway if you are a power skater, but you will need some technique to maneuver the 7 or so right hand turns if you come from indoor skating. If you are a true outdoor skater you should have no problems adjusting to the twists and turns.
We have three "obstacles" that we are dealing with now to make this course skater ready. The first one is a dip. It is aggressive enough to me that I would not expect any skater to be able navigate the dip easily. We are working with the city and our staff to build/create a cover that any skater would feel comfortable skating over. It would need to be a non-permanent solution. And we will work to cover the dip from one side of the street to the other so that skaters do not have to slow down to be tunneled through something to cross the dip. The second "obstacle" is a small section of the road that is pretty rough. We hope that they will be able to take care of that for us. If not, we have the man power and the knowledge within our club to lay a small section of asphalt to correct the problem with their permission of course. And finally the "grate". It is what nightmares are made of! LOL O.k. you probably are not laughing, but to me it is another easy fix in our eyes. It is to the farthest side of the road and we plan on using cones and plywood to keep skaters from going over it, but in case they do, they won't have the issues they could have if it were left open!
The road will be completely closed off to traffic and we do have access to hundreds of volunteers (if needed) to help direct skaters through the course as well as we will have large, bright signs directing the skaters as to which way to go next long before they arrive at that point. Although I have not personally ever skated a marathon (only a half-marathon) I am very aware of every situation that our skaters have had when traveling to marathons as well as what can cause problems for the Elite/Pro skater who have the speed as well as the very beginner skater who might not have the best of balance just yet. We want everyone to completely enjoy themselves, including their families who are back at the start/finish line (we have some great things planned for the little ones) and we want you to come back and skate the following year.
Our team of parents and volunteers are working on THE "goodie bag" for every skater who enters and something extra for those who complete their distance.
We are working on making sure there is breakfast food, hot coffee, hot chocolate and other things that racers might need, available the moment you arrive.
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will try to answer you within 24 hours. Thanks so much and we look forward to seeing you all very soon. Linda Wood
