Run to Win

The Hannaford Turkey Trot was this morning. Unfortunately, I was not able to get there this year to take pictures. Dirigo had a very good showing, taking the top three positions in the men’s race and the top two positions in the women’s race. Ethan Hemphill won with a time of 15:39, over a minute faster than last year’s winning time, and was followed 19 seconds later by Mike Payson. 12^th over all was Sheri Piers, leading the women by over a minute to win in 17:59. Marjorie Graff followed her in 19:08.

(Full Results – Awards – Photos – 2005)

The USATF cross country masters championship races were yesterday at Saratoga Springs in New York.

Dirigo won handily in the men’s 40-49 race, beating the Genesee Valley Harriers 48 to 76. Brian Pope of Oxford, MS won the race in 15:25, followed by Mike Payson (15:28) and Todd Coffin (15:34).

Tom Ryan won the 50+ race in 16:25; this placed him fourth with an age-graded time of 14:15.

Shore Athletics Club of NJ beat out the Finger Lakes Runners Club by 1 point in the women’s race. Carmen Ayala-Tronco won the race in 17:19 by almost 40 seconds.

From the Dirigo press release: (Click here to continue reading…)

Yesterday morning was the Craig’s Cup 5k. The race also doubled as the Maine USATF championship cross country race. The results were a little late getting up. It was an absolutely beautiful day to run, with race temperatures in the low 40s. In the sun, it was very comfortable; the breeze and the shade made it a bit chilly but not too cold to need anything to warm you up during the race. The course was very soft; there was some mud on the trails in spots but it did not stick to your racing shoes. The grass was a bit damp but not enough to get into your socks. In other words, it was a course made for a good pair of spikes.
(Click here to continue reading…)

The 2006 Maine Marathon, Marathon Relay, and Half Marathon was this morning in Portland, Maine. The rain held off for the day and stayed down in New Hampshire, leading to ideal marathon weather. A problem with the starting mats made it impossible to capture net times, however, so only the gun time was available.
(Click here to continue reading…)

The second of three races in the Craig’s Cup series was this Wednesday evening, September 20^th. Dirigo swept the board with the top four positions. Mike Payson, Josh Zolla, and Pete Bottomley repeated their 1-2-3 performance from the first race on August 30^th. Mike Payson dropped his time by 2 seconds to finish in 17:12, while Josh Zolla and Pete Bottomley ran 5 and 9 seconds faster in 17:50 and 17:52. Peter Hall came in fourth with a time of 19:17.

Emma Barclay beat Susan Weimer by 18 seconds to win the women’s race in 22:30.

(Photos | Race 1 Results | Race 2 Results)

The Dan Cardillo Memorial 5k Road Race was yesterday morning in Falmouth, Maine. It was a beautiful, cool morning with a slight breeze that somehow seemed to turn into a slight head wind for about 70% of the race. Dirigo and Run to Win both had a strong showing, placing 1st and 2nd in the team events. Ethan Hemphill, Andy Spaulding, and Mike Payson came in 1-2-3 overall to lead in the Dirigo scoring, followed by Rob Fast and Marc Dugas in 9th and 10th. Run To Win was represented up front by Blaine Moore (7th), Scott Hornney (23rd), Karen Fagan (27th), Stephanie Atkinson (30th), Pete Peters (32nd) and Regan Hornney (33rd), who just missed breaking 20 minutes in an official 5k by a few seconds. (Full Results)

Everybody’s times seemed a little slow from the race leaders to middle of the packers. This race has traditionally been short (the course was revised last year) and still remains a fast course, so there were many disappointments to be had, likely due to the just barely obtrusive wind. There was a cat in the middle of the road watching the runners at the 2 mile marker.

The LL Bean 10k in Freeport, Maine was this morning. Ethan Hemphill won in 33:09, followed by Michael Payson in 33:11. Joan Benoit Samuelson won the women’s race.

The LL Bean 10k is a scenic course that is not quite flat. There is a steep downhill at the start and around four miles, and some large uphills in the second mile and fifth mile. The finish is on a gradual uphill that lasts for over a mile.

The race takes place on the Fourth of July every year. There is also a 1 mile kids run, with popsicles at the end. For the adults, there is water, apples, watermelon, banana, and a number of massage tables that would put a race 3 times its size to shame.

One of my favorite comments that I heard while there was after both races had finished (the 10k is at 7:30 and the kid’s run is at 9:15) was, “Mommy, did you run the race? Did you smell the cow poop?”