Add together skating passion, personal grit, and the thrill of conquering new milestones with friends and you have the recipe for an epic adventure! These seven skaters kicked off their summer with a bold goal: to skate the entire 51.7-mile length of the Virginia Capital Trail from Richmond to Jamestown. Ranging in age from 10 to 46, the group included members of Synergy Inline Racing from Stafford, VA, along with skaters from other teams. United by a shared passion for skating, adventure, and a drive to test their skills, they headed out to discover how far they could go!
Here's what this amazing skating crew had to say about their unforgettable experience.
Why we Laced Up
From the start, it was about much more than the miles.
“The joy of trail skating combined with the epic personal challenge and finding out if you can make it.”
“Talk about a bonding exercise! Having the opportunity to do something you love alongside people you love, easily made this about the journey. “
“All of my friends inspired me, but especially Clay. She pushes me to do things I don't think I can do.”
rolling Highlights
Skating as a group brought energy, encouragement, and plenty of laughter. And the best part? No suprirse here… friends! Closely followed by snacks (because let’s be real, skating 51.7 miles takes serious fuel!)!
“Having friends to skate with makes it 1000x more fun, supportive and motivating.”
“Being in the thick of it together, and exchanging smiles throughout each stage. Seeing the struggle, acknowledging the challenge, and meeting it with determination. “
“The snacks! Also finishing the trail.”
One-of-a-kind Trail Moments
If you’ve ever explored or rolled out on the Trail, you know that each visit comes with its own unique Trail moments. Featuring a heroic jar of pickles and a surprise frog cameo, to the excitement of going up and over the Chickahominy bridge, and the spontaneous cheers from strangers, it was an unforgettable time!
“The trail camaraderie in general is great where passers by exchange cheers and encouragement.”
“Getting the most essential jar of pickles delivered by our lovely trail support before our final 7 mile stretch."
“The apples, and when we crossed the river, the bridge over the swamp, and finding the frog.”
Rolling Tough
The biggest challenge? Not the distance, but the mental stamina.
“Pain and exhaustion accumulate, putting everyone into a mind over matter struggle that gets pretty intense towards the end. “
“Pushing through the pain and telling myself I could do it.”
That Final Mile Marker Feeling
These fearless skaters rolled past the last mile marker in under 9 HOURS with 3 hours of break time and 6 hours of rolling time!
“Joy, euphoria, elation! All of the doubt and worry about making it disappears, the struggle is over, only success remains and it has been such an epic experience that it immediately feels like a dream.”
“Gratitude, not for reaching the end but for the experience. Definitely the feeling of pride as well.”
“Best moment of my life!”
Trail Suggestions from the Skate Squad
There’s no shortage of trail wisdom from this awesome crew! If you’re thinking of tackling the Capital Trail on your own wheels, they’ve got tons of great advice!
WEATHER: For the whole Trail, you need a good weather day, ideally a cool morning, tolerable high, low humidity, low wind, and start EARLY.
CONDITIONS: Do not skate the trail damp, it can be like ice for skate wheels and cause injuries.
STRATEGY: Skating from Richmond - Jamestown, from end to beginning, is preferable because in that direction the most difficult climbs are conquered early while everyone is still fresh. The trail is hilly all the way but trends down and levels out considerably towards Jamestown, which is a welcome reprieve as exhaustion sets in and even small hills feel just like the bigger ones from earlier! It’s also nice and encouraging to see the mile markers count down!
POINT PERSON: It's especially important to be aware of steep hills and sketchy intersection stops ahead of time for skaters, as we don't stop easily... knowing when you can roll out a hill (which is preferable) or must be prepared to stop is essential. Having a point person in front signal stops or safe crossings is very helpful.
KNOW THE ROUTE: There are plenty of crossings to be aware of but the hills leading into these are particularly helpful to anticipate. Control speed on each of these hills and be prepared to stop!! The trickiest hills and intersections are (heading west-east):
MM47-46 Laburnum (steep hill ending at busy intersection)
MM29-28 VCU Rice center (steep curvy hill with driveway crossing and bridge at bottom)
MM21-20 Charles City Courthouse (steep hill down Courthouse Rd towards Rt 5 ending at busy intersection)
MM7-6 Chickahominy River Bridge (30ft hill down bridge then immediately crossing entrance to Chickahominy Riverfront Park)
CONSERVE ENERGY: On the other hand, for hills you are familiar with or have someone spotting for safety, let gravity help you up the next one! It’s fun and conserves valuable energy.
BRIDGES: Bridges and bumpy terrain can be a bit hard on the ankles, bearing weight on the heels can make those parts a little more comfortable. Little hops are advisable for bridge transitions. They’ve done a good job of leveling most of them but occasionally they’re a couple inches off and a little hop is all that’s needed for smooth transition. Inline wheels can be pointed into those bumpy accessibility strips to roll right through them; if they’re diagonal, roll into them in that direction or hop over.
ADJUST: Attend to any hot spots at the first sign. If you need to adjust or loosen an area, or cover areas with blister tape, stopping it from progressing immediately makes a huge difference for the whole day.
REST: Take as many breaks as you need, don't get excessively gassed out and exhausted.
REFUEL: Charles City Courthouse is a great place to stop for lunch. At MM21 you're already over the hump, very ready for a break and needing fuel. It has clean indoor bathrooms, plenty of parking for trail support and grass to picnic in. Perfect place to recover and fuel up for the last 20! We briefly snack and rest at the other trailheads but this is the one we look forward to.
GEAR: For inline skaters, bigger wheels and lower cut boots are most comfortable over long distances. More ankle mobility and less compression points leads to better pushes and less pain. And bigger wheels get you more for your effort: 90mm-125mm is ideal, the most you are comfortable with. For quad skaters, boy they have my respect and admiration because their wheels are only around 60mm, they work very hard!
TRAIL SUPPORT is essential to success. Having someone driving along and meeting at trailheads allows packing very light while skating, having all the food and supplies you need at breaks without carrying, and the peace of mind that if anyone needs help or to pull out they are only minutes away.
Trail MVPs: Must-Have Gear
KT blister prevention tape saved the day!
Coconut water & pickles *WITH* the juice
Apples, water, headphones
Having a clip-on speaker and taking song requests from everyone helps keep spirits up!
Clean and oil bearings for maximum performance, you’re gonna need it!
So… What’s Next?
More skating, of course!
“Some of us are looking forward to more Summer Challenge - NEXT YEAR, while others have many many miles to go on the birthday challenge! We have some who are working hard at competitive speed skating, some looking forward to semi-local skate marathons, and others planning fun social and urban skates for the summer!”
Shoutouts & Skate Love
Local skate entrepreneur and Roll Patrol community organizer AdrenaLyn is responsible for introducing us to the Summer Challenge and her community's enthusiasm is very contagious!
And five of us can acknowledge our speed skating coaches Jimmy and Jane for constantly supporting us in all of our skating adventures.
Nova, Clay, Gianna, Jai, Missy, Patrick, & Brian’s cap Trail Shirt Would Say...
If they were to design the ultimate skater tee for the Trail? It would say it all:
I came. I skated. I CONQUERED 51.7 M
Get Your Wheels Ready!
Final Thoughts
“There's plenty to say about how much we love the trail and what a great resource it is for us skaters,” said Patrick. “For me, it’s fun, adventure, exercise, practice, healing, nature, zen… whether you want rest and relaxation or the challenge of a lifetime, it’s a wellspring for all of that.”
Congratulations to Nova, Clay, Gianna, Jai, Missy, Patrick, Brian, and their amazing support crew! You CRUSHED it! From pushing through pain to finding strength in one another, your journey is a powerful reminder that determination, friendship, and a little momentum can take you farther than you ever imagined. Thank you, for sharing your incredible story with us! We can’t wait to hear about your next wheely great adventure!
To catch a YouTube video of this crew in action, visit: https://youtu.be/RxBeH080VGQ?si=Y9MW1VZDjaBe97MO
Virginia Capital Trail Faces of the Trail
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