|
Tilley plans to skate the state
Published October 1, 2005
Brian Tilley has skated up and down Mount Cheaha, and he’s also skated for 24 hours to raise money for Children’s Hospital.
His next challenge will be to “Skate the State” in a record 24 hours, an event he’s scheduled for Oct. 12-13.
Tilley, 24, is the manager of Mega Skate in Albertville, where he began skating as a 13-year-old. He’s been training to skate the state since his Mount Cheaha adventure, when he was clocked at a speed of 54 mph on his blades.
Tilley’s inspiration came from Albertville police officer Doug McGee, who once walked the state.
His family – wife Bridgett and 1-year-old daughter Mercedes – also inspire the skater.
“My wife is very supportive,” Tilley said. “It’s a balance where you have a full-time job and you have a family, and still you have to put in training. I’ve gotten up at 4 o’clock in the morning before, just so I could train and so I could spend time with my family.”
Tilley will begin his journey north of Huntsville on U.S. Highway 231. He will follow U.S. 231 south to Birmingham, and then take U.S. Highway 31 south to Montgomery. From there, he will follow U.S. 331 south to Florala.
“Rain or shine or snow, it doesn’t matter, I’m starting Wednesday Oct. 12 at 4 a.m.,” Tilley said.
Wayne Bentley of Howard Bentley Pontiac-GMC in Albertville will provide a GMC truck as a chase vehicle. Tilley’s manager/trainer, Don Starnes, will drive the truck.
“Brian plans on doing it in 24 hours, which will be a world record, but we really have no way to verify it because the way they do world records on 24-hour skates is you have to do it in such a constrained area, and you can’t have 3 mph winds coming from your back at anytime and stuff,” Starnes said. “The Guinness Book really makes a lot of rules.
“The current record is 314 miles in 24 hours. Brian will have mountains to go up and down, but it will be a personal achievement, plus we’ll consider it a world record around here, if he does 400 miles in 24 hours.
“I have no doubt in my mind he can skate 400 miles, it’s just a matter of how fast he can do it.”
Tilley said it will be within the rules to take breaks along the way, as long as he doesn’t stop for an extended period.
“I won’t stop for an hour,” Tilley said. “I’ll probably take at the most 20-minute breaks. I’m going to have the chase vehicle right behind me pushing me the whole way, so I have to keep going.
“I’ve even talked to people in Montgomery to get permission to do this. Everything’s set to go. Everybody says, ‘You’re going to skate the state?’ They just can’t believe it, especially when you tell somebody you’re going to do it in 24 hours.
“When you ask somebody how long do they think it’s going to take, they say a week. Well, it really shocks people when you say I’m going to try and do it in 24 hours.”
Rollerblade.com of New Jersey is Tilley’s primary sponsor. Coca-Cola will supply Tilley with Rockstar, its new energy drink.
“Rollerblade.com will just send you anywhere and give you anything,” Tilley said. “Howard Bentley is giving us the chase vehicle, which is huge.”
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print |
Letter
|
|
|
 |
|
Follow the Reporter on Twitter:
SMR News and
SMR Sports
|
