Run to Win

The Weekly Back Cove Race Series is now 15 weeks in, with 1 more month of races remaining.

There have been 6 different winners in the past 3 weeks since my last update. Emily Durgin (19:10) and Curtis Wheeler (16:56) won on August 8^th. Matt Lunt (17:20) and Kristen Sweeney (20:24) won on August 12^th. Kurt Wente (17:40) and Marita Stressenger won on August 19^th.

Curtis Wheeler has (not surprisingly) taken over the leaderboard with a cumulative time of 1:44:06, 47 seconds ahead of Scott Gorneau. Abbey Gosling has only run once in the past 3 weeks and did not drop her cumulative time of 1:54:10 at all, but she still maintains a comfortable 13 minute lead.

Only 2 people remain who have run every single race so far this year.

I have not gotten to the race at all in the past 3 weeks, nor have I been running. My foot is getting better, but is not well enough to run on yet.

Results:Week 13 – Week 14 – Week 15 – Leader Board – Complete Runner’s List
Photos: Week 13 – Week 15

152 ran ahead of the rain in humid weather in the low 70s last night during the Weekly Back Cove 5k.

Ed Parrot won his debut weekly 5k appearance with a time of 17:20. Emily Durgin repeated her performance from 2 weeks ago, winning the women’s race in 18:36.

cutting 20 seconds off of her overall time on the leader board to 1:54:21. There weren’t any changes at the top of the men’s leader board, with me still leading the way in 1:45:59.

The leaderboard gained 5 new runners this week and now stands at 89 runners having run at least half of the 12 races so far. The list of folks who have run all 12 races is down 1 from last week to only 3 people.

Abbey Gosling may have come in second place last night with her 19:05 finish, but it was fast enough to drop her overall time down another 10 seconds to 1:54:10 (a 19:01 average.) I am still sitting at the top of the men’s leaderboard in 01:45:59, despite not running the past few weeks.

It’s also quite unlikely that I will run at any point in the next few weeks. My injury from last week has become much worse, and though I seem to be recovering relatively quickly I am not planning on trying to come back too fast. Maybe by September I’ll be able to run in the last few races.

(More Info: Full Results – Leader Board – Complete Runner’s List – Photos)

This week’s Back Cove race consisted of 214 runners braving temperatures in the low 70s with clear skies.

Curtis Wheeler led the way handily, winning the race in 16:59. Abbey Gosling’s win streak was broken, however, as her time of 18:50 was 25 seconds behind Emily Durgin’s 18:25.

Abbey’s 1:54:41 overall time on the leaderboard is still almost 13 minutes ahead of her closest competitor. On the men’s board, as predicted, I came onto it in first place with an overall time of 1:45:59. I expect that Curtis will take over that number 1 spot next week if he runs, however.

The leaderboard is growing, with 74 runners having run at least 6 of the 10 races so far. We are down to only 4 people that have run all 10 races, however, down from last week’s 6 runners.

This race was more of a tempo run for me this week. I ran to the Back Cove from work, where I saw Madeleine, Erin and Matt Lane out for a jog and decided to run with them for a short ways. The next thing I knew I barely had enough time to get from Tukey’s Bridge to the starting line, but I did make it a good 30 seconds before the start of the race. This turned my 5k into basically an 8k tempo in the middle of a 16½ mile run. I was rather tired and hungry by the time I got home.

(More Info: Full Results – Leader Board – Complete Runner’s List – Photos)

Logan Price (12^th: 16:56)

The 10^th Annual Kerryman Pub 5k Road Race (and Mary’s Walk) was yesterday in Saco, Maine. Some decent weather and good competition led to some blazing fast times in a March race, with a dozen people running under 17 minutes.

The race also appealed to a younger demographic than is usually the case in this area, with only 2 runners in the top 10 over the age of 30 and 4 runners in the top 20 that were 16 or younger! There were a total of 737 finishers.

Despite the large number of fast times, the course record was safe for the first time in years. Casey Carroll was the overall winner with a time of 15:49, outsprinting Chris Harmon and Jeff Sprague by only 5 seconds.

Jenna Desrochers had a slightly more comfortable lead in the women’s race, coming through in 19:22. She was 13 seconds ahead of 13-year old Emily Durgin.

Photo Credit: Don Penta (Set 1 – Set 2)
Results: Full – Top 10 M&F – Age Group

The Back Cove 5k race series came to an end tonight. There were 59 people at the final race, which was run in a cool 60° with some fierce wind coming over Tukey’s Bridge. Blaine Moore won the race in 17:25, with Shale Rosen half a minute back. Lindsey Davis won the women’s race in 19:46, followed a minute later by Emily Durgin.

The final leaderboard for the overall standings are as follows:

I want to extend a big thank you to the sponsors of 18 of my last 19 mid-week workouts. The Maine Running Company on Forest Avenue, Portland Trails, and Mizuno made this race series possible, along with all of the individuals who volunteered their time and effort every week for the last 5 months.

Update: Eric Boucher’s pictures of the Back Cove 5k