Inline speed skating

Inline speed skating is the sport of racing on inline skates. Although it primarily evolved from racing on "quad" roller skates, it is similar enough to ice speed skating that many competitors are now known to switch between inline and ice speed skating according to the season.

An inline speed skate is a specialized version of the inline skate. The boot or shoe is close-fitting, without padding and made of leather and/or carbon composites. For best performance the boot must conform closely to the shape of the foot, so most inline speed skating boots are heat-moldable so that the user may to some extent re-shape them.

The frame which holds the wheels is made of aircraft-quality aluminum and traditionally held five polyurethane wheels of about 80 mm diameter. Although clap skate frames similar to those used in long track ice speed skating have been designed for inline racing, they have not proven so superior to the normal fixed frame that the majority of inline speed skaters have switched to them. In the early 2000s, many inline speed skaters have instead been using so-called "big-wheel" skates. The frames of such skates hold only four wheels, but the wheels may be up to 100 mm in diameter.

The technique for inline speed skating is generally the same as the classic ice speed skating style. However, around 1992 the scene changed dramatically with the popularization of a technique called the double-push by Chad Hedrick of Spring, Texas. The technique literally allowed for two pushes in each stroke of the skate. However, the technique can be tiring and even pro-elite skaters will often save it until it is really needed, such as the latter stages of a distance race.

Inline speed skating races are held in a variety of formats and on a variety of surfaces.

Indoor races are held at roller skating rinks on coated wood floors and are common primarily in the United States. The track is about 100 m in circumference. Events, or meets, are typically structured so that members of numerous age groups race in three or four distances. At the shortest distances, there may be a number of heats. To some extent, indoor inline races are similar to short track speed skating.

Outdoor races may be held on regular pavement on city streets or park roads, or they may be held at specialized venues similar to velodromes, sometimes called patinodromes. A patinodrome is generally about 400 m in circumference and may be surfaced with asphalt, concrete or similar surface. The curves may be banked. Such specialized skating tracks are relatively common in Europe but rare in the United States.

Race formats include:

Time trials: Held "against the clock", each skater races individually or in pairs over a distance of 100 m to 300 m, attempting to establish the best time.

Sprints: Skating in small groups of about a half dozen over a distance of 500 m to 1500 m, skaters advance in a series of heats to a final round.

Elimination races: In these moderate-distance races, also known as last man out, the hindmost skater is eliminated from the competition each time the skaters complete a lap or when they complete certain specified lap numbers. At one or two laps to before the finish, the group has usually been pared down to about five skaters.

Points races: In these moderate-distance races, the first, second and third skaters to cross the start/finish line at certain specified laps are awarded points. Laps late in the race are worth more points, with the final lap worth the most points of all. It is possible to win a points race without actually being the first to cross the finish line at the end.

Points-elimination races: A combination of elimination races and points races.

Relays: Typically include three to four skaters.

Criterium races: Instead of racing a specified distance or number laps, the skaters skate for a certain amount of time, then plus a (small) number of laps. The time is typically between 15 and 45 minutes, after which a bell is rung and the skaters informed the race is over when they skate one or two more laps around the course.

Distance races: Although events such as points-elimination races and criteriums may cover a distance of 10-25 km, a distance race usually refers to a race over a set distance of about 5 km or longer and without specialized points or elimination rules. The event may be truly point-to-point or may held on a repeating course with a circumference much larger than 400 m. Such races are often marketed to the general populace and not just to members of inline racing clubs.

In the early days of inline racing, sponsors of distance races were often running event organizers, and the events they organized were commonly the same those of running races, about 5-10 km. By the mid-1990s such events were proving to not be very popular and in the United States, where sales of inline skates were also beginning to slip, there was a decline in participation at races. However, at about that time in Europe, where inline skate sales were beginning to rise, race sponsors began to regularly organize longer events, particularly inline marathons. Such events proved to be enormously popular among fitness skaters, with some events such as the Berlin Inline Marathon and the Engadin Inline Marathon in St. Moritz, Switzerland, regularly attracting over 5000 skaters each year.

In about 2000 American event sponsors followed suit, and inline half-marathons and marathons were scheduled more and more frequently around the country. As in Europe the events proved a big draw with fitness skaters looking for events which would give their training a focus. In the United States the most popular inline marathons have been the NorthShore Inline Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota and the Long Beach marathon. Also popular is the 142 km Athens-to-Atlanta Road Skating Marathon, first held in the early 1980s as an event for quad roller skaters.