Rivals push for record pace

Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis can't help but go at full speed.
KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
MILWAUKEE -- When Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis went to the starting line for the men's 10,000 meters, the final race of the U.S. Single-Distance Championships, there was absolutely nothing at stake.
Both long-track speedskaters were pre-qualified for the U.S. World Cup team.
It was 10 a.m. Monday and there were fewer than 50 spectators in the stands at the Pettit National Ice Center.
This was basically a training race, a glorified workout. Hedrick and Davis could have coasted . . . and paired with any other skater, both would have done exactly that.
"I was going to come out and skate easy," Hedrick said, "but when Shani and I step on the ice together, that never happens."
And so they went at it for 25 grueling laps around the 400-meter oval, adding another chapter to a friendly but intense rivalry that promises to burn brightly at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and perhaps beyond.
For a dozen laps, they skated nearly side-by-side, turning consistent 32-second laps.
But Hedrick, the slightly stronger skater over long distances, pulled away over the final 3,000 meters to win.
Record time
He finished in 13 minutes 22.93 seconds, breaking the Pettit Center record of 13:23.94 set by Gianni Romme of the Netherlands on Feb. 6, 2000.
Davis finished in 13:31.21.
"I told my coach [Sunday] I was going to work on my technique and take it easy and he said, 'OK,' " Hedrick said.
"But warming up, I looked at Shani and he looked at me and we just knew. We could sense it in each other."
The two had taken turns setting Pettit Center records the first three days of the competition. Davis won the 1,000 and the 1,500, breaking his own records in both. Hedrick won the 5,000 and broke Romme's record at that distance.
"I greatly enjoy the challenge of skating against Chad," Davis said. "It's kind of like a Michael Jordan-Larry Bird type of competition. Michael Jordan had the dynamic dunks but Larry Bird had the long ball.
"Chad brings me up to my game and I bring him up to his."
Dominant pair
Perhaps never before has the U.S. long-track team had two men so dominant at the same time. Davis is the world record-holder in the 1,500 and is the reigning world all-around champion.
Hedrick is the world record-holder in the 3,000 and won the world all-around title in 2004.
Davis, 23, of Chicago, is slightly faster in the shorter distances. Hedrick, 28, of Spring, Texas, has the edge in the longer races.
They rarely go head-to-head, however, because Hedrick trains in Salt Lake City and Davis trains in Calgary.
"It would be nice to skate more with Shani," Hedrick said.
"I think it would only help both of us."
Davis agreed.
"His schedule doesn't cross with mine," he said. "When we do cross paths, it is a pretty good battle."
It would surprise no one if Hedrick and Davis met in the finals of two or even three races at the Winter Games.
"It's a great possibility in the 1,500, maybe the 1,000 and maybe the 5,000," Davis said. "I look forward to it. I greatly appreciate the caliber of skater Chad has become."
The women's 5,000 meters also was contested Monday. Maria Lamb of River Falls, Wis., a member of the U.S. junior team, won in 7:38.05.