Is the course hilly? The course has some rolling hills, however, we do not consider any of the hills to be intimidating for the average skater. Is the race primarily for younger skaters? Not at all. In 2007, the average age for men was 41.9 and 35.5 for women. Skaters in their sixties and seventies compete every year. Are there water stations along the course? Yes, we have three water stations totalling 20,000 bottles of water. You will have access to water in cups at the start and the stations are at 6 miles, 14 miles, 20 miles and at the finish line. These mile marks are approximate. Because of congestion, we highly recommend that you carry your own water bottle as well. Do you place Porta Potties along the course? Yes, we have 62 toilets at the start, 2 at the medical and water stations at approximately 14 miles, and 2 at Lester River just prior to entering the residential area and 4 at the finish. May I pick up my race packet the morning of the race? Yes, from 5:00 - 6:30am a van will have all the remaining packets at the front main entrance to the DECC complex where the busses load. Once the last bus leaves the packets are no longer available. Note: this is not the door used for the expo of the finish line activities. Why are there rubber mats at the start and finish? The mats are part of the ChampionChip timing system. The wires that pick up the signals from the chips are imbedded in the mat. To skate over the mat, it is best to simply roll over them. Jumping up on the mats causes you to slow even more because your wheels will sink into the rubber. If I am going to stay north of Two Harbors, do I have to travel to Duluth and ride a bus to the start? No. You may be dropped off in Two Harbors to skate to the start. If I stay in Two Harbors, will there be transportation back to Two Harbors? Yes. We have arranged for two busses, 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. If I can't pick up my race packet, can a friend pick it up for me? Yes. Give them your confirmation card. What do I do with my shoes at the start? We provide a bag with your bib number on it so that you may place your personal items in it. The bags are then placed in trucks and transported to the finish area. Please be patient. It takes time to sort thousands of bags. Do not put any valuables in the bag. Can I switch my finisher t-shirt for a different size? Your race bib will have a tear off tag with the size of shirt you ordered. After all the finisher shirts have been distributed you can try to switch shirt sizes if they exist, but not before all competitors get the shirt they ordered. Can I change my race category? Category changes can be made up until August 31. Once the race is electronically packaged on September 1, no changes will be possible for any reason. There is a $10 fee associated with any category changes. How do I know what category to sign up for? If you have raced the race before, the computer will place you electronically. If this is your first race we will go by your estimation of your finish time. You can appeal your category if you have a compelling reason for a switch, however, this does not mean it will happen automatically, it means the competition committee will consider the appeal. All changes must be completed by August 31. How do I train for a marathon? Log on to www.marathonskating.com. This is a comrehensive how to guide to train for a marathon. it is presented by Zephyr Inline Tours for a fee of $70. What is the most difinitive website out there for the citizen racer? In our opinion it is www.skateamarathon.com What are the future dates for the NorthShore Inline Marathon? The marathon is always the second weekend after Labor day. 2008 is the 13th. 2009 is the 19th. 2010 is the 18th. 2011 is the 17th. 2012 is the 15th. 2013 is the 14th. 2014 is the 13th. Can I change events? Yes, event changes must be done prior to August 31. There are different fees associated with event changes. Please contact the office at (218) 723-1503 for further details.