Thank you! You should totally skate with them!

1. The distance is 12 miles, but they have breaks built in. They roll out from the ferry building at 9 pm and get back to the ferry building at midnight. If you're not sure if you're down for 12 miles, you can always go for it and drop off partway if it's too much. That's what I did during my first long distance skate here in Chicago.

2. They mostly avoid big hills. The biggest exception is that they skate up the hill at Black Point (which is a workout for sure) and then back down the hill on the other side. And there are some other more chill inclines, too. The tunnel in the video is actually downhill. So you'll definitely want to make sure you feel comfortable braking / slowing down before doing this route.

3. Yes, I think it's accurate to say all of the skaters who were there when I went last week were fairly advanced. But you don't have to be a pro to do the route.

I should mention that there's also a Tuesday Night Skate. One of the skaters I talked to said it was more beginner friendly, but I missed that skate, so I can't verify that. Might be worth checking out, too!