Tilley Finishes Strong Through Hurricane Nate In A2A In-Line Race
ATHENS, GA.- After winning the race in 2015, Brian Tilley again made an impact at the Athens-to-Atlanta In-Line Road Skate held recently in the Peach State of Georgia. The 36-year old Tilley finished sixth in the 38-mile race, which was held from Athens to Dacula, Ga. A similar race with a distance of 87 miles was held from Athens to Atlanta.
“Thirty minutes before the race began the roads were dry, but soon rains and winds from tropical storm Nate soon arrived and made the roads slippery and a strong headwind, too,” said Tilley of Madison. “It was like inline speed skating on ice up and down hills along the course.”
Well off his best time in 2015 of 2 hours, 5 minutes, Tilley faced the inclement weather conditions and posted a time of 2:39 and a sixth place finish among the 100 participants. His average speed was 14 miles per hour along the course utilizing highways 78 and 29 between Athens, home of the University of Georgia and the legendary rock band REM, and the small town of 5,000 residents Dacula.
What has become an American tradition, in-line skaters from all over the world attended the 36th annual race held among the beautiful areas of northern Georgia. The A2A course is highlighted by the transition from rural Georgia to quiet suburbs.
Packs of skaters began the race reaching speeds of 40 mph led by Tilley. Soon, the weather conditions began to deteriorate and Tilley was sort of the rabbit cautiously leading the way looking for potholes, standing water or any type of danger that could pose a threat to all of the skaters. The race got underway at 7:00 a.m. and with the predicted arrival of the storm came strong wind gusts that can play havoc on the inline skaters. Tilley soon fell off the lead and took his spot among the top 10.
“I tried staying lower in my skating, but the harder I pushed the more I slipped because of the wet road conditions,” said Tilley. “My skates became so wet that every time I pushed, water came out of them.”
The Georgia race came directly on the heels of Tilley racing in the North Shore In-Line Marathon held along the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota. That race also featured rain, but temperatures in the mid 40’s. In the recent Georgia race, skaters were greeted with warm, muggy conditions with temps in the 70’s degree range.
“My mindset was to stay focused, positive and determined to finish the race and that’s exactly what I did,” added Tilley, who is skate director at Insanity Complex.
