From the 100m sprint to Ultramarathons, inline speed skating has races for everyone
The modern inline speed skating is a high-intensity performance sport comprehending a wide range of disciplines and distances.
Being able to cover a given distance as fast as possible is the basic idea of inline speed skating but, differently from ice skating, the majority of the races in roller skating can be classified as group competitions in which multiple skaters shares the same track and race together. This feature makes inline speed skating a highly tactical sport. Although classified as a non-contact sport, inline speed skating requires the ability to position yourself in the best position which, usually, involves pulling, pushing, and overtaking at high speeds (but don’t say it to the judges ;)).
The World Skate federation recognises a wide range of different races and distances. In this article we will cover the most common races which are included in the World Championships schedules, which are:
100m Sprint
200m Dual Time Trial
500m + DistancSprint
1000m Sprint
Elimination races
Points and Points/elimination races
Team Relay
Marathon
Let’s have a quick glimpse to each of these events so that you can start understanding more about the inline speed skating world.
100m Sprint
Circuit: Road
The 100m sprint race is the shortest race for inline speed skaters. It is similar to the 100m dash race in track and field. Skaters are required to cover a 100m straight in the shortest time possible starting with a standing start and staying within the boundaries of a 2.60 meters-wide lane.
Current official world records
Senior Males: 9.575 seconds, Jhoan Sebastian Guzman, 2024
Senior Ladies: 10.205 seconds, Geiny Pajaro, 2019
100m Sprint Senior Men World Record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy-xRMN78AY
Speed Skating Data race analysis
Technique
Tactics
Speed
Endurance
200m Dual Time Trial
Circuit: Track
The 200m Dual Time Trial is the shortest and fastest track race. Skaters are competing two by two. The start and finish lines are in the middle of the straightaway. The two competing skaters are required to cover the 200m distance as fast as possible starting at the opposite sides of the track.
Current official world records
Senior Males: 17.231 seconds, Steven Villegas Ceballos, 2021
Senior Ladies: 18.531 seconds, Geiny Pajaro, 2021
200m Sprint Senior Ladies World Championship 2023: https://youtube.com/watch?v=0Sik2mojfrU
Speed Skating Data race analysis
Technique
Tactics
Speed
Endurance
500m + Distance Sprint
Circuit: Track and Road Circuit
Being the shortest race in which multiple skaters share the same track, the 500m + distance is one of the most spectacular races, combining high speed with tactics and technique.
Originally, the distance was exactly 500m. With the new standard of 200m-length tracks, the skate in the outer lane was too penalised from a trajectory standpoint. Starting further from the first corner was the solution for this problem.
500m Sprint Senior Men World Championship 2018: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MDuT9MedIhE
Speed Skating Data race analysis
Technique
Tactics
Speed
Endurance
1000m Sprint
Circuit: Track
This is the race were the best sprinters and the best endurance athletes meet to fight for the gold. The hybrid distance, not short and not long, makes the 1000m sprint one of the most unpredictable races. In the final round, 8 skaters share the track to be first athlete to cover 5 laps and cross the line.
1000m Sprint Senior Men World Championship 2023: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Owxr6p5ybME
Speed Skating Data race analysis
Technique
Tactics
Speed
Endurance
Elimination races
Circuit: Track and Road Circuit
The first type of endurance race is the elimination race. The official length of the elimination races is 10000m for the Track event and 15000m for the Road Circuit event.
The aim of the race is, once again, to be the first to cross the finish line. A single heat or final sees 26 to 30 skaters at the starting line. After the first 1000m of the race, the bell rings and, from the following lap, the last athlete of the pack crossing the line (at each lap in Road Circuits and every two laps in Track events) is eliminated from the race and must leave the track. This process continues until the last lap, when the 3 to 5 skaters left on the track sprint for the race victory.
Due to the increasing distance and importance of the slipstream, the elimination race is highly tactical and often involves spectacular contacts and overtakes.
10000m Elimination Senior Ladies World Championship 2023: https://youtube.com/watch?v=rwGNxCGgl2g
Speed Skating Data race analysis
Technique
Tactics
Speed
Endurance
Points and Points/elimination races
Circuit: Track (Points/elimination) and Road Circuit (Points)
This is the only race in which being the first to cross the finish line does not guarantee the victory. The race distance is 10000m both for the track and road circuit race. A single heat or final sees 30 to 40 skaters at the starting line. After a couple of laps, the bell rings for the first time. From then on, every lap (road circuit races) or every two laps (track races), there will be a sprint that assigns 2 points to the first skater crossing the line and 1 point to the second skater. The last lap is no different, but with 3 points assigned to the first skater crossing the line, 2 points assigned to the second skate, and 3 points assigned to the third skater. At the end of the race, a special classification is drawn up based on the points accumulated by each skater during the race. The skater who accumulated the greatest amount of points wins the race.
The Track points/elimination race is a combination of the elimination and point races, with the alternation fo sprints for points and eliminations alternating during the course of the race.
From 2024, the World Skate federation have introduced the 5000m points race which will be skated only on track events. It follows the same rules of the road circuit race with points assigned at every lap.
10000m Points race Senior Men World Championship 2023: https://youtube.com/watch?v=rOfPd2G9k6E
Speed Skating Data race analysis
Technique
Tactics
Speed
Endurance
Team Relay
Circuit: Track
The team relay race is the only team race in inline speed skating. 6 teams, composed of 3 skaters each, share the track for 3000m (usually 15 laps). The relay is performed with a push with hand(s) from the arriving skater to the hip of the starting skater. The relay is usually performed at every lap, but each team can decide how many laps to relay. The combination of high speeds, a relatively short relay zone, and the difficulty of sharing a track with other 11 skaters trying to perform the relay at their best, makes the relay race one of the most spectacular races to watch.
3000m Relay race Senior Men World Championship 2018: https://youtube.com/watch?v=YUcRdRdpk-w
Speed Skating Data race analysis
Technique
Tactics
Speed
Endurance
Marathon
Circuit: Open Road Circuit
This is probably the most straightforward discipline to understand:
A mass start
42.195 km to be covered as fast as possible
The current record is held by the Belgian Bart Swings who set an incredible time of 56 minutes and 45 second (44.6 km/h average speed) in the 2022 edition of the Berlin Marathon.
The female best performance of all time was set in 2017 (Berlin Marathon) by Maira Yaqueline Arias, with a race time of 1 hour 6 minutes and 35 seconds (38 Km/h average speed).
Berlin Roller Marathon 2015: https://youtube.com/watch?v=UBhp0D8EpTU
Speed Skating Data race analysis
Technique
Tactics
Speed
Endurance
References
World Skate, Speed Rulebook, 2024
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