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Buisson Sets World Record for Solo Marathon
Time beats Kim Ames' mark by 10 minutes
(posted Saturday, July 8, 2006)
Canadian Meaghan Buisson set a new world record for solo
marathon this morning with a time 10 minutes faster than
the old mark.Skating on the Grand Prix racecourse in
Montreal, the 26-year-old speed skater posted a time of
1 hour, 18 minutes and 15.73 seconds.The old record, set
by USA's Kim Ames in 1997, was 1 hour, 28 minutes and 56
seconds.Canadian national team member Peter Doucet said
Buisson's time would have been faster if not for a
"significant" headwind on one part of the course: a
2-kilometer straightaway.Buisson skated alone, although
other athletes were training on the 5K road course
during her record attempt."A few times we had to ask the
public to stay back," said Jim White, one of the three
official observers for the record attempt. "But there
was no problem."Two microchip transponders recorded
Buisson's time.The temperature while she was skating was
70-78 degrees (F).Buisson was wearing skates with three
100mm wheels and one 84mm. Ames set her record on skates
with five 80mm wheels. The attempt came on a rest day
near the end of the Canadian inline speed skating
championships, which conclude tomorrow in Montreal with
the marathon.As she has done for the last three years,
Buisson dominated the women's racing, winning all events
and posting three new Canadian records.Not thought of as
a sprinter, she surprised everyone, even her coach, John
Monroe, by setting a new Canadian record in the 300
meter track sprint. Her mark of 28.49 seconds represents
the first time a Canadian woman has skated the distance
under 29 seconds.The old record was held by Cindy
Klassen, who has won six Olympic ice speed skating
medals, including a gold in the 1500 meters in Turin,
since transitioning from inline skating.
Buisson began her transition to ice last year. |
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