Imagine it! Well Heather Halvorson, a 32-year-old mother from Seattle, did just this during the Seattle to Portland (STP) Bicycle Classic on July 7, 2001.

The STP is a nationally recognized event organized by the Cascade Bicycle Club since 1979. In 2001, cyclists traveled from 40 of the 50 states and ranged in age from 8 to 83. Participants have the option of completing the ride in one day, or staying overnight at the half-way point in Centralia, Washington and completing the ride in 2 days. This year, 1,315 riders finished on the 1st day, while 5,506 riders opted to pedal a little easier and finish on Sunday. Heather completed the entire route, 197 miles, on the 1st day! When we asked Heather about the experience and her training, here is what she said.

Sue/2 Kens: When did you start and what was your time?

Heather: I started at 3:55 am (ouch!) and finished in Portland at 9:50 pm for a total time of 17 hours 55 minutes.

Sue/2 Kens: How did you get permission to skate in such a well known cycling event?

Heather: I emailed the event director and explained what I wanted to do. He wrote back saying that due to the volume (8000) of cyclists on the road, skating is not recommended but it is not against Cascade's policies. The volunteers were all very supportive though. Without official approval I would not have done it.

Sue/2 Kens: Had you always planned to finish the event in one day?

Heather: At first I planned to complete the event in 2 days, but after hearing a skater did it in 1 day last year, I began to think about it.

Sue/2 Kens: What was your training schedule? (Note: for those of us who’ve skated with Heather the past 2 years, she was quite matter of fact about training and goal. Not until April did we discover just how committed she was.)

Heather: In the winter, I gradually increased my mileage so that I could complete the 45-mile loop around the north end of Lake Washington. My training regimen consisted of skating 3-4 times a week, Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. Saturday was long distance. Every 3rd or 4th week I made an easy week and reduced my mileage. (Note: Winter in Seattle is rainy season and skating on cold rainy days is not fun. A mile-long, 3% grade hill and rough pavement make the Lake Washington loop an accomplishment for cyclists, let alone skaters.)

Sue/2 Kens: Did you use a heart rate monitor?

Heather: Yes initially, then it became part of the gear I chose to give up. I wasn’t using it.

Sue/2 Kens: How did you increase your mileage? You skated 100 miles before the event, right?

Heather: Every time I decided to lengthen my workout it seemed impossible, but I just did it. Then after I did it, I thought how easy 20 and even 40 miles seemed. It was positive feedback. Through March, April and May, I increased my longest workout every other weekend from 45 miles to 60 miles to 80 miles and finally to 100 miles on May 19. I repeated the 100 mile workout twice more on June 2 and 16.

Sue/2 Kens: Did you change your diet?

Heather: No, I didn’t change what I ate other than taking vitamins. I ate lots of noodles, and Thai cuisine was my favorite. I did eat more, though, and found I craved fresh greens, which I’m not keen on. It was strange walking into a restaurant and discovering I really had to have a large salad.

Sue/2 Kens: What skates did you use and what did you carry during the event?

Heather: I trained and skated on 1999 Salomon FT skates, Explorer wheels 80/83A, and Maple Diamond 5 wheel frames. While I use Twincam ABEC 3's to train, during the STP I used nice fast Twincam mini bearings. I would have used ceramic bearings if I had them!
My fanny pack held a lightweight cycling jacket, arm warmers, first aid kit, skate tools, cell phone and BalanceBars which I didn’t use. I followed the advice of Jonathan Seutter and Uwe Brockmann, former 24-hour record holders, and put Spiz, a meal replacement drink, in my CamelBak. I'd really like to give Uwe credit for helping me. He posted a long detailed message to me about long distance nutrition that must have taken quite a bit of his time to write.

Sue/2 Kens: We’re surprised at the ABEC 3s.

Heather: They work fine. I never have a problem with them. They are cheap and when one set gets old, I buy a new set.

Sue/2 Kens: Now that you are done, was it fun?

Heather: Yes, it was both really fun and really tough. It was really fun to skate the route, in the road, all the way to Portland. Usually it's not exactly kosher for skaters to be on the highway like that, but that day it was permitted.

Sue/2 Kens: How often did you stop?

Heather: Besides Port-a-Potty breaks, I stopped for a half an hour at each of the first 3 rest stops at 50 miles, 100 miles and 150 miles. I was pretty tired by 150 miles, so after that I got some assistance from a friend every 15 miles.

Sue/2 Kens: Did you draft behind the cyclists?

Heather: I began skating before the official start of the STP. The majority of the riders caught up to me in Puyallup, mile 45, but I really only drafted off and on from about mile 50 to mile 85. They were too fast.

Sue/2 Kens: When did you know you would make it in one day?

Heather: I had reserved a hotel room at the half-way point just in case, but I pushed on past it and at the Oregon border with 45 miles to go, I knew I could make it.

Sue/2 Kens: What hurt the most?

Heather: My back! At the same time I knew I could make it, about mile 150, my back started to hurt.

Sue/2 Kens: What made you keep going?

Heather: When I started I thought I would just have to skate for 1 day. That is all. Then, during the event, I broke up the distance into smaller increments. So I kept telling myself I only have to make it to the next rest stop.

Sue/2 Kens: What was the worst part?

Heather: There was one section of pavement that was really bad. It was so bad I almost could not skate. Fortunately though, it did not last too long.

Sue/2 Kens: Did you ever feel like quitting?

Heather: Yes, especially towards the end. I held up okay until about mile 170. Then I was going on pure stubbornness supplemented by the bicyclists' words of encouragement. I still can't believe I actually pulled it off.

Sue/2 Kens: How were you treated by cyclists?

Heather: There were a ton of bicycles. All the cyclists were extremely cool. They kept yelling encouragement as they passed me. One guy at about mile 175 told me he wanted to have my baby! I'm not sure I could have skated the whole thing in one day if it wasn't for the cyclists urging me on.

Sue/2 Kens: What were other comments?

Heather: The questions I heard the most were, "What is going on," or "Did you skate here?" A few others said, "So this is why we saw you (skating) on the Burke Gilman Trail." At home I checked the STP web site and found the cyclists wanted to know if I made it. That made me feel pretty good.

Sue/2 Kens: What was the finish like?

Heather: You always feel like you are the last one. It was dark and there was a big downhill just before the finish. I took my skates off and walked down, but I ended up talking to lots of people so it seemed to take a long time. There were also railroad tracks at the bottom of the hill. Fortunately the organizers were aware I was coming and held the finish open.

Sue/2 Kens: Would you do it again?

Heather: I did the event for fun and personal fulfillment and achieved both goals. I have already told some people that I want to skate it again next year, so I guess I am doing it again. Something like that though, I don’t think you can know until the exact time you're doing it if you're going to make it all in 1 day or 2. There are too many variables. I did receive a finisher's badge that I am very proud to own. So we'll see!

Sue Bream owns Get Your Bearings Inline Skate School in Seattle, Washington. A competitive inline racer, avid fitness skater and personal fitness trainer (ACSM and ACE), she is certified IISA Level I, II, Master Fitness & Inline Racing. Race days, Sue dons a Team Predator skinsuit and has completed the Northshore Marathon, Seattle Skate for MS, Cactus Speed Classic, Long Beach Marathon, and Athens to Atlanta.

Ken Brownell, a civil engineer, has been racing since 1995. He has completed the Northshore Marathon, Seattle Skate for MS, New York 100K, Long Beach Marathon, Athens to Atlanta, and recently Big Granite Marathon in Ashland, Wisconsin. During 2001, Ken is skating with Team Xenan.

Ken Russell is a long time skater and skating advocate. He currently is the Washington Inline Skating Assoc. webmaster. He has hosted Eddy Matzger workshops, and raced Athens to Atlanta. You can recognize him by the Red Hook Brewery uniform.

Photos © Cascade Bicycle Club