The US American set a new world record in the non-Olympic distance of 3000m in Salt Lake City with a time of 3:40.88. One has to slowly get used to the idea that Chad Hedrick, 50-time World Inline Skating Champion, winner of the real,- BERLIN MARATHON in 2000 in 1:01:45 and 7th last year with a time of 1:05:00, has now also joined the “others,” with great successes with the speed skaters on ice.
World record and World Allround Speed Skating Championship title
Already at the end of 2003 – in his second season ice skating—he set a won the World Allround Speed Skating Championship with a world record and then also became the world single distance champion in the 5000m. In the programme guide for the real,- BERLIN MARATHON 2004, he said: "I am still an inline skater deep in my heart, even if in my mind I see my athletic future in speed skating".
100m duel with a cycling star
Chad Hedrick also knows how to enjoy himself on the side. After placing 7th in the 31st real,- BERLIN MARATHON 2004 through Berlin in the morning, he fulfilled a wish of SCC RUNNING and participated in a 100m duel at the Brandenburg Gate against cycling star Jens Voigt.
The duel ended in a tie, 1:1, in front of several thousand enthusiastic spectators. “We will continue the duel in 2005“, they both promised.
Two seconds
In Salt Lake City, Chad Hedrick improved the last world best performance in the 3000m, which had been held by the Dutchman Gianni Romme (3:42,75), by almost 2 seconds. That moves Chad Hedrick up to the position of the top favourite for the World Allround Championships in Moscow in February. Chad had missed making the best performance in the allround competition a week earlier due to a disqualification in the final 10,000m race. Filled with anger, he continued the long distance race anyway, finishing with the 3rd fastest time ever in 13:03.99 (but disqualified).
How about finishing under 60:00.00?
The organisers of the real.- BERLIN MARATHON have been hoping for a while to see a time of under 60:00.00 for the speed skaters on the marathon course—maybe it will come true for Chad Hedrick on September 24, 2005!