http://www.iisa.org/
If looking to skate long distances, marathon type inline may be best for you.

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DISH is how we do it.

Is that still around?

OMG I think I was actually still using my mid-90s Rollerblades when that site was designed. LOL

There is another site regarding the matter but cannot remember the name so the one I posted was the closet I could find.

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DISH is how we do it.

I used to skate the 87 mile Athens to Atlanta inline skate race every year, although I was always primarily a cyclist.I got my time down to right at 5 hours, so I was pretty respectable. For what it is worth, I am 6'3" without skates, so I am in a similar boat. Marathon or inline race skates would be your best bet, but skating for speed and distance is not really any treat even for a heathy back. Speed skates have evolved a lot. When I first started, we used 5 x 76mm wheels. Wheels gradually became so much larger that the skates started using only four wheels, but with 100 and then 110mm wheels. The newest setup is 3x 125mm wheels. Being so high off the ground in low cut skates isn't for the faint of ankle. Go to a site like Nett Racing to learn more.

Well the good news is that this sport has lots of equipment choices, some of which are carbon, that can be really expensive. At least not totally new, right?

Thanks for the replies - probably going to go with something like 90mm or 100mm, high-end fitness skate vs. marathon/racing.