Oh, that’s a thought; I wonder if a speed skater’s lap time would be affected at all by adding a bit of
ski wax to the blade? Obviously skis/snowboards are made of fibreglass, and have a much bigger surface area, so I’m guessing it will have less of an affect?
Also have you ever noticed after a blade sharpen that while the edges feel more defined/grippy, the forwards/backwards motion is very slippery due to the blade being polished smooth. Think of
pitting corrosion; involves iron(steel) + water + oxygen = ‘full house’ for ice skating blades; this is why it’s really important to dry your blades folks! This happens at a molecular level, so by the time you can visually see rust spots it’s already happening; and quite possibly, slowing the blade down.
Slightly off-topic; people tend to think of a race as the time between the starting pistol, and crossing the finish line. However in the book ‘Born to Run’ by Christopher McDougall he writes about a
ultramarathon race; the competitors meet up a few days before, (page 249) and Eric mentions, “maybe the race already started”.
