Run to Win

The 28^th running of the Mid-Winter Classic in Cape Elizabeth was this morning in what were pretty ideal conditions for the area this time of year. Temperatures hovered around 20 degrees with wind speeds under 3 miles per hour. There were 686 finishers, just a few shy of last year’s record 691.

Speaking of records, the overall course record fell for the 3^rd time in as many years, this time with Dan Vasello cutting nearly a minute off to bring the record down to 51:09. His closest competitor was Judson Cake who finished 91 seconds behind him.

In total, there were 22 people who ran under an hour for the 10 mile course, including the top 3 women who had a much closer race. Kristin Barry led Sheri Piers by less than half a minute with her winning time of 58:42. They were followed by Shannon McHale who ran 59:42.

For myself, I ran 58:09, and while it was about the same time as I ran last year, I had to work much harder for it. I went out a little too quick and was stuck with the lead pack for the first few miles, but there was nobody near us and dropping off would have meant running alone. Of course, once the pack started to string out, I fell back fast. I had a few people around me most of the race to keep me honest, although the uphill stretches nearly did me in. Normally one of my strong suits, I just could not eke out any sort of decent leg turnover, although I made up for it on the flats and downhill stretches. I guess I am not 100% recovered from the 50 miler.

I’ll post links to the photographs and videos of the race as they become available.

(More Info: Full Results – Photos)

This morning could not have gone any better for the race directors at the Mid Winter Classic. The 10 mile race seemed to go off without a hitch, from volunteer support to record participation, and even including beautiful running weather. It was about 34 degrees out with an average 5 mile per hour wind, which is much better than the low teens and high winds that we dealt with last year.

There were over 850 registered runners and a record 691 finishers this year. (Full Results)

The course begins on the access road between Cape Elizabeth Middle School and Cape Elizabeth High School, and runs counter clockwise through town to finish up behind the high school. There is a total of 1400 feet of elevation gain along the way, with a net drop of 22 feet from start to finish.

Ethan Hemphill was 14 seconds off from his record pace that he ran last year, finishing in 52:59, but he was 2^nd this year. First place honors went to Rick Rountree of Vermont, who shattered the record with a time of 52:03. The four runners following Rick in the top 5 were all Dirigo Runners.

On the women’s side, Sheri Piers repeated her winning performance from last year. She shaved over 4 minutes off of her time, though, finishing the race in 58:25. It’s a good thing, too, because this year she had competition. Kasie Enman was breathing down her neck, trailing Sheri by only 4 seconds in 58:29.

Once again, the race course support was stupendous with numerous volunteers making sure that the runners had a good experience. The food was again excellent, having the same spread of pizza, bagels, yogurt, bananas and beverages that were out last year. The awards this year were backpacks, which I thought was pretty neat.

My own race went pretty well. I said before the race that I wanted to go out in 6:15 (NOT 5:45) and then carry 6 minute pace through the next few miles and see what I had in the second half. My original goal (a few months ago) was 57-60 minutes, and I was going to aim for 60 since I haven’t done the speed work, just the base work. I did wind up going out in 5:45, but then I settled in at that pace for almost the entire race. My splits were (approximately): 5:45, 5:59, 5:43, 5:45, 5:43, 5:51, 5:47, 5:56, 5:49, 5:37. All in all, a very even pace to bring me through in 57:58 for a 13^th place finish.

Photo Collections:

• Photos by Don Penta (Part 1 of 2)
• Photos by Don Penta (Part 2 of 2)
• Photos by Sandy Walton at Mile 6 (updated link!)
• Photos by Beth Rand
• Photos taken at Mile 5
• Photos taken at Mile 9
• (Race Videos) (updated link)
• Maine Track Club Finishers (Gallery of MTC runners with names/times)

There were quite a few photographers out on the course. As I find links to online photo collections, I will update this article and include them here.

The Mid-Winter Classic 10 Mile Road Race is this Sunday, February 3^rd at 9:45 a.m.

This is an excellent early season run, and is the first race of the season for me every year. The race takes place in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Race day registration is available in the high school cafeteria, and you can register on Saturday at Maine Running Company.

If you aren’t ready to start racing yet this season, then this is an excellent opportunity to volunteer and help the race run smoothly. Volunteers are still needed, and your help will be appreciated even if you are running the race.

You can see specifically which jobs still need to be filled at the volunteer sign-up form. Volunteers will receive a long sleeve technical shirt, access to the post-race food, and $5 in Maine Track Club bucks, which you can use towards other races or MTC sponsored activities or membership renewals.

The weather is forecasted to be wonderful, and it will certainly be better than last year. I hope to see you out on the course either as a runner, volunteer or both.

Here is an email that that provides information about the race for those who are running:

We hope the following information will help you prepare for the run and to ensure that everyone has an excellent experience.

Pre-registered runners can save money on a pair of Brooks shoes and avoid the crowds on race day by picking up their race packets and shirts at the Maine Running Company store on 563 Forest Ave., Portland, ME Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Runners can register for a free pair of Brooks shoe to be raffled and also, $10 off any Brooks Running Shoes during the day. Packets may also be picked-up on race day morning starting at 8:15 AM.

National Weather Service forecast Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. West wind between 9 and 13 mph.

Please show up early enough to give yourself time to park, get settled in the cafeteria, and warm-up. Race starts promptly at 9:45 AM. Our traffic guides will direct you to the nearest available parking spot.

The first 450 registered runners will receive a long sleeve technical running shirt. You may exchange your shirt for another size if available after the race. Extra shirts will be available after the race for $5.

For safety reasons we ask that all runners stay on the left side of the road during the entire race.

Regards,
Erik Boucher

For more information, you can view the race website at:
http://www.mainetrackclub.com/midwinterclassic.html

This past weekend was the Cape Elizabeth Mid-Winter 10 Mile Classic, which I wrote about previously. As is usually the case when there is a race in Maine, the Maine Track Club has a collection of photos for your viewing pleasure courtesy of David Colby Young’s website.

Here are the photographers who contributed pictures:

1. David Colby Young
2. Lisa Despres
3. Beth Rand
4. Don Penta

The Mid-Winter Classic was this morning in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It was a chilly day with temperatures in the high teens/low twenties, but the wind was something fierce. Not much of a factor on the back of the course, the start and the finish were both very chilly and very hard to run through the wind.

Ethan Hemphill set a new course record of 52:45, 16 seconds better than the previous record from two years ago. He ran with Ryan Robitaille through mile 7+, but left him behind in the last 2 miles to win by over a minute. Sheri McCarthy-Piers won with a commanding lead over second place Kendra Hodder, beating her by over 3 minutes in 62:39. Todd Coffin also set a course record, beating teammate Mike Payson’s masters record by 23 seconds in 54:19. Christine Reaser won the women’s masters race in 66:46.

The race set records in both the number of registrations as well as the number of finishers, which is great news for a very early season race with less than stellar weather for running. There were 660 finishers today. I was 26^th overall in 61:32. I did not quite meet my goal of of running negative splits, despite working much harder through the second half of the race.

The volunteers at the race were great. A race like this requires a lot of people to make it happen, and as of the few days before the race there were not nearly enough people committed. Around a half dozen of those who were committed had to call and cancel due to having the flu. The last 3 days before the race, though, plenty of volunteers stepped forward and they did a great job. The race also had a great spread afterwards. There was plenty of water, gatorade, accellerade, bagels, oranges, pizza, banannas and yogurt. The two course records both awarded their winners with a $100 bonus, and the other prizes consisted of head bands. An appropriate prize for a winter race.

(Full Results)