Run to Win

This morning held perfect cross country racing weather for fast times at the Craig Cup Run for Life 5k at Twin Brooks Recreation Center in Cumberland, Maine. 104 runners crossed the line in temperatures in the low 60s with a breeze that wasn’t strong enough to find its way into the trees.

Ethan Hemphill had some good competition midway through the race, but managed to pull ahead for an 11 second lead over Jeff Sprague (16:44) and Robert Gomez (16:48) for a winning time of 16:33.

Carry Buterbaugh had a larger lead over Christine Reaser (20:19), and was the only woman under 20 minutes with a time of 19:31. Jeanne Hackett was 3^rd in 20:40.

I did not run this year, instead volunteering to help out. I did get some video footage of the race, which will be available tomorrow.

(Full Results – Awards – Videos)

This morning was the 10^th annual Dan Cardillo Memorial 5k, which is run in memory of Dan Cardillo and to which all proceeds go towards his charitable fund. The light rain and dreary skies didn’t keep the runners away this morning, with 306 people running the race. This race is popular for local runners because it is very flat and relatively fast.

The race went out at a pedestrian 3:10 for the first kilometer, until Nor’Easter runners Robert Gomez (2^nd/15:47) and Jeff Sqrague (3^rd/16:02) pulled in front of eventual race winner Ethan Hemphill (1^st/15:31) and tried to put the sag on and slow down the pace further. Ethan got around them and picked up the pace, splitting up the lead pack into 2 groups.

The Nor’Easter runners managed to win the team event by 6 seconds, taking the 2-3-5 slots to Dirigo’s 1-4-6 slots, 48:08 to 48:14. I was about half a minute behind the pace that I wanted, finishing in 6^th place overall with a time of 16:27 and about 8 seconds behind Nick Scott, the 3^rd Nor’Easter runner.

(Full Results – Age Group Results – Team Results – Course Map – Photos: CD 1 & CD 2)

The L/A Bridge Run was this morning, concluding the 1^st Annual Lewiston/Auburn Triple Crown racing series. Conditions for the race were favorable, with temperatures in the low 60s, overcast skies, and only a very light breeze albeit with a bit of humidity mixed in.

Ethan Hemphill returned again this year to claim the victory, splitting the distance between his performances from the last two years to finish in 15:29, 20 seconds ahead of Nicholas Wheeler. The race was a little closer on the women’s side, where Lauren LaRoche’s 18:40 was only 15 seconds ahead of Tina Meserve.

There were a few guys that went out for the cameras at the beginning of the race but who quickly faded (all but one not even making it to the bridge before falling back,) but a lead pack of 5 runners quickly formed and put a little distance on the field after going through the first kilometer in 3:05.

Towards the end of the second kilometer, I was behind the pack which had whittled down to 3 guys with a few others starting to string themselves out. I ran it in 3:12, slower than I wanted to go but still on pace.

Everything fell apart by 3k, though and I barely managed to hang on for the rest of the race. I got passed by a few guys and finished in 6^th place overall with a time that was at least 45 seconds too slow. Most of the people that I spoke to felt that they had all run slower than they thought they would going into the day, but that is small consolation.

I did secure a 3^rd place finish in the Triple Crown Series, however.

Here were the final standings for the 3 races:

(Full Results – Triple Crown Results – Photo Credit: Erin Moore – Penta Photos: Kids Race – Start Line – Finish Line 1, 2, 3 – DCY: Photos & Video)

Here is a quick breakdown of races today throughout Maine. I will update this page as I find more results. If you know of any races that are missing, please let me know in the comments so that I can add it! Same goes for any photo galleries.

The current tally of the number of runners that competed today in Maine: 5152

The LL Bean 4^th of July 10k in Freeport is first this year, since I decided to go back and race there after taking a few years off.
Ethan Hemphill once again took top honors, finishing in 32:36 with a 15 second margin. Kristin Barry led the rest of the women by 68 seconds with a time of 35:12. There were 918 finishers. (Full Results – Photos)

Next up is the 32^nd Bridgton 4 on the 4^th. Stan Pyle was looking to go under 20 minutes today, but he missed the mark. He can’t be too upset, though, because he beat some very stiff competition to win the race in 20:26, winning by only 2 seconds. Carry Buterbaugh had about a half minute lead with her winning time of 23:26. There were 1670 finishers. (Full Results – Race Website – Photos: CD1 – CD2 – CD3 – CD4 – CD5 – CD6 – CD7 )

The York 4 on the 4th also had a pretty good draw, with 787 finishers. Bob Winn had a 19 second lead with his winning time of 21:10, while Amy Gosztyla had to fight for her 4 second winning time of 22:51. (Full Results)

The Goose Rocks Beach Association puts on an annual 5k in Kennebunkport, and it also had a large draw with 777 finishers. The entire field got “Huppeed” when Nathan Huppe crossed the line in 15:49, 13 seconds ahead of 2^nd place. Abby Iselborn had a similar lead over the rest of the women with her winning time of 18:22. (Full Results – Race Website)

The Walter Hunt Memorial 3k in Brewer was led by Ruben Sanca in 8:25, giving him a win by 7 seconds. Hilary Maxim had a 19 second lead with her winning time of 10:27. There were 472 finishers. (Full Results)

The Friends on the 4^th 5k, put on by the Friends of the Cobbosse Watershed in Winthrop, was won by 16 year old Luke Fontaine in 16:16. He won by less than a half second. Lauren Laroche had a slightly larger lead of 18 seconds to take the women’s title. There were 405 finishers. (Full Results – Race Website)

There were 107 finishers in the Firecracker 5k in Thomaston. Darren Winchenbach won the race in 19:45. (Full Results – Video – Photos)

There was a 5.1 mile race in Brooks called Let Freedom Ring. There were 16 finishers, led by Kevin Patrick who won with over a 4 minute lead in 28:34. (Full Results – Photos & Video)

There were 8 teams of 8 legs each in the 6^th Annual Mount Desert Island Relay, a 61.09 mile race. I have not yet had a chance to figure out how many people ran more than one leg but there are at least a few so there were less than 64 competitors. The Spudland Racers won by over an hour, setting a course record. (Full Results [pdf])

I am still awaiting the results of the Sebec Village 4th of July 5k. (Update: 31 people finished – Full Results)

Updates to follow.

This morning was the LL Bean 4^th of July 10k, which I have not run for the past few years. As I said back in 2005, this course is not quite flat:

Today was far and away the best running weather that I have ever had on this course. It was humid, but the temperatures never got too high and the last mile or so down Main Street did not involve thundering through the relentless sun as it usually does. There was a nice breeze and it felt pretty good.

There were 918 finishers this year, the majority of whom managed to get a free pair of New Balance 1062 running sneakers for being one of the first 500 people to register for the race. The post-race refreshments were a little meager and didn’t really last long enough, although there were enough popsicles for the kids at the end of the 1 mile fun run which is the important part.
(Click here to continue reading…)

Norm Duphily (29:04)

The YMCA Fit Fest 5k was this morning, kicking off the Greater L/A Triple Crown racing series. The series got off to a good start, with a record 249 finishers in today’s race.

Last year’s winner Stan Pyle ran 70 seconds faster this year than he did last year, but it wasn’t enough. Ethan Hemphill managed to win the race by 1 second, finishing in 15:20. Their closest competitor was almost a full minute behind them.

Anne Martin had a slightly larger margin in the women’s race, where 18:26 gave her a half minute lead over second place.

Dirigo did well as a team today, placing all three runners in the top 10 in positions 1, 2 & 9. I was about half a minute slower than I thought that I would be with a 17:34, but I wasn’t overly surprised with my time. In the next 2 to 3 months, I need to cut about 90 seconds off of that in order to meet this season’s goals.

(Full Results – Awards – Photo Credit: David Colby Young – Don Penta’s Photos)

The Sea Dogs Mother’s Day 5k was this morning at Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine. The weather was absolutely beautiful, with clear skies and warm temperatures. The race saw a record number of entrants for I don’t know how many years in a row now, with 1780 runners pre-registered and over 2200 runners registered for the race. There were 1926 finishers. Next year may have to involve a cap to the number of entrants into the race.

Dirigo had a very good showing, capturing 4 of the top 5 positions. Ethan Hemphill led the way, beating Judson Cake by 5 seconds to win in 15:14.

On the women’s side, the top 3 women were all Dirigo runners. Sheri Piers and Kristin Barry were neck and neck, both finishing in 17:26 with Carry Buterbaugh coming in 33 seconds later in 17:59.

I did not run today. I spent a few hours behind the table in preregistration before the race, and then prevented a small Korean woman from convincing her husband to run everybody over as she waited to cross the race course. Thankfully, I was able to refer her to the officer across the street when she paused to catch her breath, so she started screaming at him instead.

(Official Site – Full Results – Videos – Photos: Set 1 – Set 2 – Set 3 – Set 4)

The Safe Passage 5k was this morning, with little to no wind, a clear sky, and cool but warming temperatures. There were 392 finishers. Ethan Hemphill led a string of 4 Dirigo runners to win the race in 15:29, with Suzanne Ray taking the women’s race in 19:07.

The race raised almost $11,000 for Safe Passage, an organization that provides educational resources to children in Guatemala City. The race was started by and now memorializes the Safe Passage founder Hanley Denning, who passed away in a car accident before the 2006 running of the race.

(Full Results – Race Photos)