Sense-sational!

Whether you were in it for the fun and sun or you had your eyes on a prize, the 3rd Tahiti Nui Roller Marathon was the place to be. It's a dream vacation and race, with smooth pavement, warm crystal clear water, more colorful fish than you can imagine, stunning nature hikes and sunsets. Oh! the sunsets! Or how about trying these S'es on for size: sun, sand, surf, snorkeling, scuba diving, sharks and stingrays, stars twinkling in the night, and last but not least, skating. These were just a few of the activities and attractions enjoyed by the 150+ skaters, family, and friends who embarked on an adventure to the paradise island of Moorea in the South Pacific. And come away with memories to last a lifetime they did – plus a bit of sunburn; but no one was disappointed by any means.

Warm winter

Participants couldn't have asked for a better Tahitian experience and for the chance to escape for a few days the blustery and cold North American winter we'd been experiencing. Despite the stifling heat and humidity at race time, the skaters extremely positive attitudes and absolutely gorgeous scenery banished all thoughts of the blazing sun, potential dehydration, and patches of rough road which can get in the way of a solid performance and a good time. We had lush valleys surrounded by steep green mountains on one side of the road and the limpid, blue waters of the ocean, with swaying palm trees, on the other side.

Local vibration

Tahiti has all the beauty you could ever want, skaters from all over North America, France and Tahiti, and fantastic media exposure. There is something altogether different about Tahiti that at first escapes you, but it's there – helping you to relax. Take you off the clock. Perhaps it's something in the air down there? It may take a few days, but it's in you. Then you realize that a big reason is the local people. They have so much energy, but they don't rush around senselessly burning it up. They relax, things get done with a smile, and they have extra energy to share with others. This makes for a happier, positive atmosphere.

Energizing majority

This year Tahitians outnumbered all other entrants in the 3 events (marathon, half-marathon, and 6K). There were 160 Tahitians of the 300 total entrants from Tahiti, Moorea and Raiatea and brought all their energy with them. You think skaters are a positive group. Well, regular everyday Tahitians have got 'em beat. Imagine the energy in a Tahitian skater! Needless to say they made the event a truly wonderful experience. An even more amazing quality of this venue was the abundance of Tahitians lining the course: men, women, and children, cheering us on with ear-to-ear smiles while extending their hands in high fives to all who whizzed by. They were delighted by our presence and showed their affection outwardly in such a natural way. This enthusiasm is rarely equaled at races in the U.S.

A moment of silence

Eddy Matzger stood on the starting line along with everyone else just prior to the start, his race number filled with the signatures of other racers. Excitement all around – last minute adjustments. Then the announcer speaking in both French and English called for a moment of silence in remembrance of Eddy's father Paul Matzger, who tragically passed away just days earlier. The 500+ skaters and spectators in attendance fell silent.

Paradisiacal oxymoronic paradox

Ready for some heavy breathing on a tropical island? Whether your sights were set on keeping up with the leaders or keeping your eyes on the sights, you still had to skate 42K. Those that did go for the gold got a taste for something completely oxymoronic: working hard in paradise. The skaters came with a very competitive, yet friendly spirit. The race for 1st was the toughest yet. A 2:30 pm start which maximized the piercing heat of the tropical sun, and the addition of the last 2 Athens to Atlanta champions and Salomon speedsters Tristan Loy and Benoit Perthuis, made for a scorcher! TwinCam's Matzger battled the two Frenchmen to the very last meters, while Nicole Mathews and Barrie Hartman of Empire Speed were separated in the first congested mile.

Solo, but not alone

A fast start and a fast group of men helped Mathews jump out to a quick 2 minute lead, and then she skated much of the race solo for 1st. Hartman also soloed for a long stretch and finished a minute back in 2nd. The way this course is laid out, skating solo doesn't mean that you are alone. You see everyone 3 times, and you get and give support to each other. You feed off of each other. It's like a big party with locals out on the street, cheering and giving high 5s. And as if the Tahiti Inline Marathon course wasn't beautiful enough, the Start-Finish area was moved onto the road leading to the Belvedere to give participants a closer look at Moorea's majestic mountains and lush green canopy.

Comeback victory

Men's overall winner, Perthuis, was dropped several times over the final 15K but each time battled back. Loy explained his role in keeping his teammate in the hunt for the victory: "It was a very tactical race. We had to eliminate Eddy! We each took turns laying mines by attacking. Benoit cracked at the end and since I didn't think I could win the sprint with Eddy, I decided to wait for Benoit. When he came back Eddy was marking me, so Benoit took advantage of that and took off like a rocket. I protected my teammmate and passed Eddy just at the end to take 2nd." Perthuis surprised Loy, Matzger, and everyone else with his show of strength, and himself as well: "I'm dead. I had to wave off the paramedics after the race. It was brutal. My heart rate was 203 at the end! I've never broken out a sprint like that before in my life. Tristan did a ton of work for me. And Eddy's so strong to have been able to resist getting dropped the way it was the two of us against him. At the end, after I had dropped and then caught back on, Eddy didn't quite know what to do anymore." Matzger-twincam/salomon, a very close 3rd had this to say: "That was war out there! After Dan blew up, it was 2 against 1. I chased and chased. It's a bummer that Benoit dropped and still won the race! With Dan up there we could have done more damage and set up a win for TwinCam. But that's racing. We've got a date for next year. I can't wait!"

Top Tahitians

Anatole (Kiki) Carawiane, and his little brother Marius, finished 6th and 5th overall respectively, and they came within 10 seconds of catching Dan Burger at the line. Burger had skated solo for 30K and squandered a nearly 2 minute lead on the brothers with 11K to go, staggering across the finish line for 4th overall and 1st Pro Master. What makes Kiki's and Marius' story amazing is that they have been skating for only a year! Kiki knows that it is going to take time, and now he has a better sense of how long: "It's great! It's these kind of results that pay for all our hard training. The 3 in front were a little too fast for us, but that will come! Skating with Marius helps because we can trade off. Now I hope we'll be able to go skate races abroad."

Red carpet treatment

Rolling through the finish skaters were greeted by a slew of spectators, a corp of Tahitian drummers playing native music, and several ladies outfitted in pareos (the boldly colored swaths of fabric worn as traditional garb) who adorned finishers with richly festooned flower leis. There was a table overflowing with fresh mango, grapefruit, papaya, pineapple, and banana for us to consume – and it was immensely appreciated and savored. This all contributed to make for a most festive atmosphere! All of the participants enthused over the race, the Tahitian peoples' overtly friendly nature, and spectacular scenery. We all vowed to return next year for more of the same. A big thanks to Christopher Pierre of Way Beyond for getting us all there and for putting on another spectacular event. Special thanks go out to Caroline, for her wonderful,almost daily, nature hikes, and to Claude and all those that work to help the Tahiti-Roller Association, Ta'io Moe Na (I have a dream), to thrive!

Many happy returns!

The awards ceremony was held Saturday evening at the host hotel. Even more revelry ensued with a band playing, the video of the race streaming in the background, the beautiful shell medals being passed out to finishers, and everyone coming away with lots of "swag" for their achievements. Congrats were spread around,and we can't help but reiterate because of our enthusiasm, we all will return next year to this spectacular paradise. We came away with a boatload of photos and stories to tell about our unique experience and we hope that more can join us for the Tahiti Nui Roller Marathon 2002. Tristan Loy made it pretty clear where he wants to vacation next year: "This was cool, racing for the first time in the southern hemisphere. Plus, I didn't expect that Moorea would be so raw and untouched. The jungle is wild! I totally want to come back to defend our honor next year".

Roller World Cup in 2002!

The 4th Tahiti Nui Roller Marathon will be on March 6, 2002. It has been registered with the Roller World Cup, and will kick off the 2002 RWC series, as a Class 1 marathon. For race and travel information, contact: Way Beyond: 1-877-230-2495 or 310-641-8673, email: waybeyond@usa.com or the website: www.wayb.com

Results

Men 26.2 mile Benoit Perthuis-fr 1:14.41; 2 Tristan Loy-fr 1:14.5; 3 Eddy Matzger-us 1:44.5; 4 Dan Burger-us 1:25.38; 5 Marius Tavita-ta 1:25.49; 6 Anatole Carawiane-ta 1:25.49; 7 Tom Ashton-us 1:29.14; 8 Chris Pierre-us 1:36.23; 9 Mark Sperber-us 1:36.3; 10 Crapo Legrand-fr 1:39.35.

Pro Master Burger; 2 Ashton; 3 Sperber
Adv 55-59 Jim Waguespack-us 1:47; 2 John Kummer-us.
50-54 Claude Jeanloz-us 2:02.04.
45-49 Mark Gaylor-us 1:50.39; 2 Denis Carrere-ta.
40-44 Dwayne Dixon-us 2:02:27.
35-39 Jubran Seim-us 1:43.40; 2 Tim Heacox-us; 3 Ed vLeuvan-us.
30-34 Pierre; 2 Legrand.
14-17 Laurent Meslien-ta 1:39.42; 2 Isidore Fareura-ta; 3 Taaroaatua Uura-ta.
Fit 45-49 Denis Carrere-ta 2:33.59.
40-44 Pierre Salint-Alanc-ta 1:39.36; 2 Patrick Cande-ta; 3 David Uhrenholdt-us
35-39 George Marinkovich-us 2:21.32; 2 Dean Miller-us.
18-14 Arii Chung-ta 2:16.08.
14-17 Manutea Cande-ta 1:54.53.

13.1 mile John Taha-ta 50:03; 2 Nhavai Tetuanui-ta 50:11; 3 Geoffrey Hull-us 51:0; 4 Taiarii Tauhiro-ta 55:38; 5 John Cavalie-ta 56:49; 6 Michel Tauru-ta 57:09; 7 Michel Griot-ta 58:28; 8 Scott Lehnkering-us 58:28; 9 Marama Opuu-ta 1:00:25; 10 Rolf Freerks-us 1:01.3.
Adv 50-54 Freerks.
40-45 Lehnkering. 35-39 Hull.
30-34 Taha; 2 Laurent Nicollet-fr; 3 Scott Jones-us.
18-24 Tauru.
14-17 Tauhiro; 2 Opuu; 3 Romaric Mairau-ta 1:04.29.
11-13 Tetuanui; 2 Caluis Manate; 3 Teriitara Teinauri-ta.
1-8 Alex Pierre-us 1:43.12
Fit 55-59 Pierre Kayser-ta 1:35.44; 2 Whitey Brewer-us.
45-49 Griot; 2 Joel Peironet-ta; 3 Jean Vignaux-ta.
40-44 Vlad Sejnoha-us 1:02.45. 35-39 Cavalie; 2 Roomui Anania-ta; 3 Andre Ho-ta.
30-34 Syvlain Giçquel-ta 1:03.32; 2 Taivini Teal-ta.
25-29 Sebastien Barbara-ta 1:19.33.
18-24 Heifara Opuu-ta 1:02.51.
11-13 David Dauphin-ta 1:10.22; 2 Bob Tearaimoana-ta; 3 Franck Petere-ta.
9-10 Fabien St Blanla-ta 1:12.55.

6K Yannick vBastola-ta 12:35; 2 Ulysse Lesbros-ta 13:48; 3 Teiviura Manate-ta 14:54; 4 Amu Tetuanui-ta 14:54; 5 Alexandre Li-ta 15:08; 6 Tapuarii Schmidt-ta 15:37; 7 Ranitea Galenon-ta 15:38; 8 Heirata Schmidt-ta 16:08; 9 Jean Tauapiian-ta 17:08; 10 Alizee Gleize-ta 17:27.

Women 26.2 mile Nicole Mathews-us 1:34.47; 2 Barrie Hartman-us 1:36.03; 3 Michelle Gaylor-us 1:39.58; 4 Denise Kraus-us 1:42.16; 5 Jacqueline Jordan 1:50.08; 6 Michelle Mathews 1:50.4; 7 Alicia Vilalobos-us 1:59.12; 8 Gillian Clarke-ca 2:08.59; 9 Christie Gleize-ta 2:14.39; 10 Jenny Huang-us 2:17.31
Pro Master Jordan
Adv 40-44 Gillian Clarke-ca 2:08.59; 2 Brenda Houser-us.
35-39 Kraus; 2 Villalobos 30-34 Gaylor; 2 Jenny Huang-us; Colleen Brooks-us.
Fit 40-44 Christine Gleize-ta 2:14.39 35-39 Karen Sejnoha-us 2:17.31.

13.1 mile Elisa Tura-ta 59.44; 2 Odile Buvry-ta 1:00:44; 3 Francoise Haudry-fr 1:02:58; 4 Lioudmila Golynskai-us 1:05:04; 5 Hinarii Teparii-ta 1:05:32; 6 Inka Kaiser-ta 1:05:59; 7 Irene OBrien -us 1:06:38; 8 Pascal Faivre-ta 1:06:58; 9 Carol Courtoux-fr 1:07.54
10 Sylvia Bechaz-ta 1:12.15.
Adv 50-54 O’Brien.
45-49 Jeri Smith-us 1:17.51; 2 Sheri King-us; 3 Grace Aspiras-us
14-17 Lindsay Mai-ta 1:36.31
Fit 55-59 Ziggy Faivre-ta 1:18.52. 50-54 Caryn Robin-us 1:40.23.
45-49 Haudry; 2 Faivre; 3 Debbie Merrill-us.
40-44 Barbara Berry 1:14.48; 2 Caroline Maruoi-ta.
35-39 Buvry; 2 Golynskai; 3 Kaiser. 30-34 Courtoux.
18-24 Bechaz; 2 Aurelie Lucas-fr 14-17 Tura; 2 Temehani Taputu-ta.
11-13 Teparii; 2 Edwige Lenoir-ta; 3 Vairea Roomataaroa-ta.

6K Pare Taputu-ta 15:28; 2 Vanessa Opuu-ta 16:53; 3 Maimiti Cande-ta 17:13; 4 Tamara Tetuanui-ta 17:46; 5 Roina Schmidt-ta 20:02; 6 Raina Chaussoy-ta 21:32; 7 Viviane Tekorui-ta 22:45; 8 Maryline Tetuanui-ta 27:47; 9 Juliette Pieere 28:0 (age 4).