The 3 minute mile.

[crawdad62]

James,

Is there a wind allowance? A person could find a flat area where the wind blew as a tailwind at different times of the day, and take their runs accordingly.

Regards,
Jack

PS - Your PM mailbox is full.

I'm going to assume for it to be completely fair it should be run like the cyber slalom run. Run it in both directions and average the time. Of course there needs to be a time limit in doing so.

[PeterWeinrauch]

Another guy and myself finished a four mile course with small up and down hills and wooden board walks (on a trail) in 17 minutes.

Just saying.

[OldSkateGuy]

Imagine a longboard with a full fairing...

Something like this:


Here's a link to an article about the Vetter Streamliner, which I drove/rode in 1978. Lean controlled, maximum length 10', maximum weight 75lbs. Brakes and parachute were required, as were a lack of brains.

Top speed 59.27mph

[BoardDuDE630]

this sounds awesome. I'm a distance runner first and a boarder second. i've clocked 4:32 mile on the track last year. I might have to try this challenge some time during my off season. Although I've never clocked out my top pushing speed.

dang thats good, my pr is 5:00

man im a long distance runner (5/10k and up) and my pr is 5:20 i could never run that fast around the track in my life i give madd props to you guys

but this thing seems really cool im gonna have to try it out once i graduate and have alot more free time

[kraffft]

"Twelve contestants were hurt that day, one critically. The skateboards raced one final time at Derby Downs the following week where we took second. These things were too dangerous. They don't do this anymore." -Vetter

Great to hear the history. Nice short article there.
Folks definitely still risking their lives with street luge though.
Unpowered: ~90mph. Rocket powered: 119.60 MPH
Radical SkateLuge

Seems like a fairing would be plenty safe around an upright pusher/pumper on flat ground, with the general exception of crosswinds blowing you over.

[pavedwave]

James,

Is there a wind allowance? A person could find a flat area where the wind blew as a tailwind at different times of the day, and take their runs accordingly.

It's a good point Jack, and the guys that have submitted their times have been outwardly honest in their comments if they felt they had some "wind at their back." Michael Dong established a really good habit of detailing the conditions when he set his world records on the old cyber slalom course, and we're trying to go for the same kind of legitimacy with the Mile. Kind of what Brooke was alluding to --- these efforts don't mean anything unless we shoot for accuracy and honesty. I've gone through the Guinness hoops, I know what those follks require, and rigorous would be an understatement.

One of the best ways, though it's often hard to find, is a perfect 1/4 loop course, like a velodrome. At least in this situation the wind influence can be somewhat mitigated.

Any one of these guys in the top 10 on the Cyber Mile list who've done the math, put forth the effort to establish a regulation course, and executed it with witnesses, can attest that the buttload of posts about people "casually cruising flatland at 20mph" are nothing more than online puffery. Greg and Ian have been pushing each other the last couple months, and know the focused effort it takes to get under 4-minute flat miles. It's no stroll in the park!

Doing a XX-mile cross-country course in XX minutes and trying to average out miles that way just doesn't translate to what we're doing here. We have Robin McGuirk in the NW who killed almost every Portland Pusher race (winning 9 out of 10) sometimes making an 8-mile course under 30 minutes. Was he consistently clocking almost 4-minute miles? Sure -- but an unmeasurable amount of GRAVITY was involved. And gravity is cumulative -- ask any flatland slalom guy who pumps a flatland course with and without starting ramps. Still, I'm hoping to get Robin out on this course and see what he's got on pure flatland, because the man is a legend up here -- he just hasn't put his mind to the Mile yet.

One of my buddies thought he had found the perfect "flat" course and was nailing the Mile in close to 3 minutes. Curious as all hell, we went out and I suggested we skate the course --- the other direction. At full blast it reduced his 3-minute Mile to around 4:40.

The only way to measure the Cyber Mile accurately is 1. A loop track that starts and stops at the same line, or 2. Averaging two miles from A to B, then B to A. Crawdad, you also raise a good point about the time in between mile attempts. The rule we've established is within a 24-hour period. "The two runs should be skated on the same day, but rest time in between is otherwise unlimited." Usually though, we make our two attempts within the same hour or two.

Fairings....hmm? Sounds like a slippery slope toward that skin-tight stuff. You know what I'm talkin about.

What I'm hoping for late this summer is to get some of these guys out on a track and do this up proper, two mile attempts simultaneously in "pursuit" race format -- with post-race imbibements and a bikini-clad cheerleading squad for inspiration

[sk8norcal]

i am not sure what Jack is referring to,
fairing for the skateboard or the rider...

but anyways, fairings will have little effect at the speed that guys are pushing at...and their added weight..

lycra will give you at least 10 seconds though...
and shaving your head gives another 2 seconds..

[OldSkateGuy]

Great answer James, thanks.

Hey, you should read "The Perfect Mile" it's an account of Roger Bannister's quest to break 4 minutes in the mile. At the time he was attempting to do so people actually thought it would kill the runner. It's an amazing story.

HC - I was posting in reply to the faired bike a few posts below.

[sk8norcal]

got ya, Jack... missed some posts...

kraffft, i seen that hpv and that rider in action, pretty impressive...

also, i have seen this sailskating thing on ice...

where the standing ice skaters is completed covered inside the foil...!!!

[kraffft]

(Ice) speed skating is another interesting comparison.. Ice skates seem to fit into the distinction that markgroenenboom made between pushing/pumping as something that "does not function as a machine; specifically it offers no mechanical advantage"

World record for speed skating 1500m (1 mile= 1609m) is:
1:41.80
Shani Davis
USA
06/03/2009
World Cup
Salt Lake City, UT (USA)

Seems like (traditional) skateboards could never approach a two minute mile because a skateboard push/glide cycle utilizes less muscles less efficiently..

Though it does suggest another fairing/spandex/lycra cheat: Making shoes that are analogous to those new school speed skates where the blade is spring loaded to keep it in contact with the ice for longer.

Was definitely envisioning a human sail/fairing/wing/pumping combo.. Cool to hear about something like it. Anyone know of an encyclopedia of weird transportation inventions?
This movie is the closest thing to that I know of:

GIZMO

[sk8norcal]

i think i posted the kickscooter's mile record before...
3:20 ??

if a skateboarder can match those guys, it would be impressive...

wheelchair is @3:30


is there a pumping mile record?

are the pushers throwing in some pumps during the mile?

[pavedwave]

i think i posted the kickscooter's mile record before...
3:20 ??

if a skateboarder can match those guys, it would be impressive...

wheelchair is @3:30


is there a pumping mile record?

are the pushers throwing in some pumps during the mile?

almost all of the records on the cyber mile are all-pump -- the fastest is still Munson's at 3:33.

being close to the kickscooter and wheelchair is damn impressive, considering the difference in wheelsize alone. where did you find the record for wheelchair, I saw it's from para-olympics but can't find an exact link.

[sk8norcal]

Craig Blanchette Sets World WheelChair Mile Record: 3:31.48 on Yahoo! Video

[Koom]

great forum it's about time one showed up.My town is entirely flat . . .seriously,I can accurately account for most of my mileage,and track times very easy,I can skate 20 miles across town and not hit a single hill maybe a brigde.I can prolly pull under four minutes for sure I'm gonna try tommorow.I have a 4.4 mile run I've skated religously for about three years I can get down to 20 21 minutes.

[pavedwave]

Craig Blanchette Sets World WheelChair Mile Record: 3:31.48 on Yahoo! Video

that's rad!

i've been trying to get the local velodrome to consider throwing our skating freak show into their half-time at their friday-night bicycle races, but they haven't gone for it yet. it would be great to have a crowd like that and it would take only 5-6 minutes for us to get in, have two skaters do a simultaneous pursuit race, then get out... that's been my pitch and I'm going to keep reminding them each year

[sk8norcal]

for the record...

inlines..
1500 Giuseppe De Persio Italy 2:07,770 01/08/1980 Finale Emilia (Italy)

[jb_]

interesting digup. i still have yet to try this. i remember back when i was new to longboarding i clocked myself with a gps at about 18 km/h on the flat. that's pretty low and i'm sure i could do much better now.

[sk8norcal]

almost all of the records on the cyber mile are all-pump -- the fastest is still Munson's at 3:33.

so who's the fastest push-miler?

[pavedwave]

so who's the fastest push-miler?

nat halliday - UK- 4:18
pavedwave - the home of distance longboarding

[wafflesole]

Go me!

That was on a really windy cold day and after we had put 25 miles down. I really bow down to the pump skaters, their times are fast (though i have just got a mermaid with virage LDP trucks to 'test' - so who knows)
We didn't rest more than 5 minutes inbetween runs.
I was skating a loaded fathom with orange purple inheat combo on holey trucks and biltins.

I reckon I can get under 4 minutes in ideal conditions (i did 3.59 in one direction), but the 3.30 barrier is a tough one. I will investigate this futher this summer. I'm sure wheel size has a lot to do with it... i hate to say it, but aero might do too. I'm sure its got something to do with fitness too!