Here is a quick breakdown of races this Fourth of July. I’ll cover the Bridgton Four on the Fourth, the Freeport L.L. Bean 10k, the York Four on the Fourth, the Kennebunkport Goose Rocks Beach 5K, the Winthrop Friends on the Fourth 5k and the Sebec Village Fourth of July 5k.
The 30th anniversary Bridgton Four on the Fourth was won by Sean Livingston of Barrington, Rhode Island in 20:32. Erica Jessman won the women’s race in 23:39. There were 1434 finishers. This course has a very fast first mile followed by a pretty steep second mile. The third mile is rolling hills with a predominantly downhill but still rolling final mile. It is quite hot, but there is plenty of shade. I ran 22:38, finishing 2 seconds behind Chris Gatchell. He has beaten me 3 times in a row now, beginning with the New England Mile where he beat me by one tenth of a second.
The Freeport L.L. Bean 10k was won by Ethan Hemphill in 33:03 and by Olympic gold medalist Joan Samuelson in 37:19. I got punched during a race once by Joannie…she went for water and my face got in the way. The women’s race was much closer than the mens, with Danyelle Phelps following Joan Samuelson in 37:30. The L.L. Bean 10k also is full of rolling hills, but there is much less shade than at the Four on the Fourth in Bridgton. There were 544 finishers.
The York Four on the Fourth race was won by Bobbie Winn in 21:06 and by Catherine Gracian in 26:57. There were 641 finishers. I have never run this race so I do not know the course at all.
The Kennebunkport 12th annual Goose Rocks Beach 5k was won by almost a minute by Mike Griffin in 15:57, and by Christine Reaser in 18:26. There were 667 finishers. I also have never run this race.
I do not know the results yet for the Walter Hunt Memorial 3k in Brewer-Bangor. The course has a down hill first mile and less than a mile finish in front of a parade route coming into Bangor. It is a very fast course, and I have a couple of teammates who had a goal of breaking the record this year.
The Winthrop Friends on the Fourth 5k was won by Gabe Rivard in 16:13 and by Katie Burdette in 18:23. There were 300 finishers. I am not sure where Winthrop is; I believe it is just north of Bath.
The Sebec Village Fourth of July 5k was won by Jeff Sands in 19:12 and by Anne Marie Davee in 22:56. There were 33 finishers. I have never even heard of Sebec Village.
Congratulations to all the finishers of Fourth of July races in Maine. Being physically fit and going out to enjoy the (hot and humid but not as bad as it has been) weather is a great way to celebrate our Nation’s birthday. If you know of any other Maine fourth of July races, please feel free to shoot me a link to the results and I will update this article. If you have any insights to add about the race, I would also love to hear them.
Sebec Village is a very nice place. It has been maybe 35 years since my last visit. I have races in Greenville Jct, Dover-Foxcroft, Lincoln, Gilford so I know the region.