“A few months ago, I got a crazy idea to attempt to inline skate from the Canadian border to Duluth along Highway 61 on a 153 mile multi-day endeavor. I'd never done anything like it, the longest distance I had previously skated in a day was 26 miles.
I was furloughed from my job due to COVID-19 in March and still had a couple weeks of time off before getting called back to work. If I was going to attempt this adventure, now was the perfect time. I checked the weather and spotted 4 days of perfect. I called my dad and asked him for a ride to Grand Portage. He was immediately excited to hear my plans and offered up a ride. Two days later, my bag was packed and we were on the road north.
We arrived to the border at 10am on Wednesday and I started to skate south. The first 3 miles were completely uphill (Mt. Josephine). I had no cell service until Grand Marais, which was 40 miles away from the border. I pushed my body harder than ever before. I was blessed with the best weather and very minimal traffic on the highway. My legs held up well, didn't run in to any equipment malfunctions with my skates, and didn't even get a single blister.
On the fourth day (Saturday), I arrived to the finish line at Canal Park in Duluth at noon. It was the most challenging thing I've ever put myself through and definitely the most rewarding. I experienced so much peace and beauty along the way and learned so much about my body's capabilities.
This entire video is comprised of iPhone videos I captured along the way.” - Mike Lufholm