Hugo Gerard and Valérie Maltais win the Canada Roller Marathon

French skater Hugo Gerard and Canada's Valerie Maltais won the first edition of the Canada Roller Marathon held this Saturday in Blainville. 

By Jackob Savard

Photo: Passion/Patin/Vitesse - Passion/Speed/Skating

Over a hundred skaters took part in the first edition of the Canada Roller Marathon organized by VRL skating club.

Belchos tried, but Gerard had the last word

The men’s race started intensively with an attack from Jordan Belchos in the first kilometer. After many 3km laps at the front, Belchos reintegrated the chase group composed of Colombian Nicolas Laborde Sanchez, Canadian Julien Armand and French skaters Pascal Briand, Hugo Gerard and Darren de Souza. Some skaters tried to set a faster pace to escape the pack but none managed to do it until Hugo Gerard attacked with six kilometers to go. The leading pack then started to disintegrate and only Belchos was still with Gerard with two kilometers to go. Gerard dropped the Canadian in the last straight line winning the first ever Canada Roller Marathon. Belchos finished second, Armand third, Laborde Sanchez fourth and Briand fifth. Darren de Souza didn’t complete the race, bothered by cramps in the last kilometers of the race. 

Maltais is the women's champion

Short track speed skating olympian Valérie Maltais won the ladies’ race. Even if the women’s group wasn’t as strong as the men's one, Maltais's closest rival Anaïs Laurent skated a portion of the race with her in a group of men's skaters and didn't finish that far behind the winner. Frédérique Savard took the bronze medal.

Other distances

A 100m and a 3k were also raced in the morning at the PMG Technologies circuit in Blainville. Darren de Souza won both races in the men’s category while Anaïs Laurent won the ladies’ 100m and Valérie Maltais the 3k. Many recreational skaters and younger athletes took part in a 10k or a 21k and some also did the 42km in team relay.

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