"The Berlin Inline Skating Marathon, started in 1997, is the world's largest, drawing more than 5,000 participants annually. I first learned of it in Spring 2023, when my childhood best friend, Elizabeth Hentschel, announced to our tight-knit group that she'd be participating in the race that fall."
"A few feet ahead of me, a far-too chipper man in a white helmet races up to a woman as she cautiously makes her way down the road, her legs shaking harder with every glide. 'You appear to be very terrified!' he gleefully points out. She shoots a look at him, disbelief and disgust in her eyes."
"I head down the slick street towards the fork in the road marked by orange arrows painted on the pavement. To the left, an indication of the race's loops-skaters must complete five seven-kilometer laps around the course to achieve marathon distance-and to the right, a single word: 'Finish.'"
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