Did you know that you can now buy Central Maine Striders gear online through B&B Embroidery & Ink in Oakland, Maine?  They carry short-sleeve and long-sleeve tech shirts and hoodies, in multiple colors in both men's and women's variations, as well as beanies.  Go to https://shop.bbembmaine.com/Central-Maine-Striders_c92.htm to start shopping now!

Of course, you can still buy the classic blue tech shirts, singlets, hoodies, and hats from Joseph's Sporting Goods in Waterville, Maine by stopping by their store at 146 Kennedy Memorial Drive or calling them at (207) 660-6676.

To see photos and a description of all Central Maine Striders items for sale from both places, please go to: ​www.centralmainestriders.com/shop.html.  

Please note that we do not set the prices for any of the items, nor do we receive any of the proceeds.  However, we encourage you to support both of these local central Maine businesses.

For their running achievements while representing the Central Maine Striders during the year, Ron Peck and Heather Cable were given "Strider of the Year" awards.

For their invaluable assistance with the operations of the club during the year (often behind-the-scenes), Kate Scott and Amy Stabins were recognized with "President's Awards."

For their unstoppable positive spirit while representing the Central Maine Striders during the year, Martha Nadeau and Drew McCormick were given "Strider Spirit Awards".

All award winners received gift cards to Fleet Feet Running.  Thanks to each and every one of you for continuing to represent the Central Maine Striders!

​The 44th edition of the Central Maine Striders January Thaw was a great success! Held every year since 1980, this race has been a staple of Maine’s winter road races for decades. Turnout was excellent for this edition, with 36 runners and many more in family and support staff.
 
The conditions were 26-degrees F and windy but with plenty of sun. The loop is about 4.5 miles (thankfully for me probably a little short of this) starting with a three-quarter mile surge out from the school to Augusta Road. Huge shout out to the volunteers who stood in the cold to direct runners at each turn. The first 1.5 miles felt like running into a headwind, hoping your initial adrenaline would last until your body mechanics are warm enough to take over. Your pre-race routine becomes crucial in these conditions. I saw many participants doing strides and stretches on the school road. I opted for the warm enclaves of Planet Fitness where I can listen to my Taylor Swift pump up playlist in comfort, and then drove to the race to get there just in time for the start.
 
The second left on the course takes you into a nice downhill on Rt 175. You can catch your breath while beautiful farmland flanks you. A few more rolling hills and before you know it you’re making your final turn back on the school road with the finish line right in the student drop-off zone. That final turn is the perfect signal to unleash your final surge with the finish line maybe 600m away.
 
Beyond the great course and volunteers, the post race scene was an absolute delight. Coffee, hot chocolate, homemade mini muffins, hand warmers, even free running books! I was surprised and excited to see so many new faces at the race, including an individual who was doing his first road race! The trophy was a beautifully crafted key/running medal holder, gift card to Lamey Wellehan Shoes, and a custom bookmark/ribbon. Put this race on your calendar to see what the 2024 edition has in store! In the meantime, 2023 is shaping up to be a great year of running and racing; I’m excited to strengthen old connections, make new connections and run new courses. Hope to see you on the roads!

We're excited to announce that we now have an online store where you can buy Central Maine Striders tech shirts, hoodies, and beanies through B&B Embroidery and Ink in Oakland, Maine!

https://shop.bbembmaine.com/Central-Maine-Striders_c92.htm

Join us for the Central Maine Striders Annual Meeting!

This event will be hosted by club Vice President, Kate Scott, at her home in Waterville.  Club members, prospective members, and their families are welcome to attend.  Please RSVP with your number of guests and her address will be shared with you.

We will start off at 5 pm with an optional 1-3 mile neighborhood run to enjoy the holiday lights.  Jingle bells provided, headlamps and reflective gear recommended, ugly sweaters encouraged!

Following the run, please join us inside for food, holiday sweets, and a brief annual meeting. 

​BYOB. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.

Evite and RSVP link:
 www.evite.com/event/01395P4NKIJPIYPAEEPNLY25UOH6KI/rsvp?utm_campaign=send_sharable_link&utm_source=evitelink&utm_medium=sharable_invite

​To close out the summer, Quarry Road Trails hosted the inaugural Quarry Road TrailFest with a 5k fun run and 15k challenge trail race on October 30th.
 
I have my sights set to tackle my first Half in Millinocket in December, so I was eager to get my mileage up.  What better way than a 15k trail race through the woods of Quarry Road Trails?  To add to the fun, two other Striders and I dressed up with the theme of "Cook-out Essentials", dressing as a Hamburger (Heather Cable), Ketchup (Ron Peck), and Reye's Mustard (myself).  
 
The course was two laps of a 7.5k loop. It started in the middle of the big field near the yurt, followed a single track trail up The Big Hill, and then joined with South Koons to head down the hill.  We then did the North Koons loop before continuing across the field, and down the hill toward the stream. We followed along the Messalonskee Stream for a stretch and then returned to the big field to repeat the loop. 
 
The race was advertised as a challenge and with the hills and water features, it lived up to the hype without being extreme.  The single track trail up The Big Hill was dry and leaf free, making the climb nearly pleasant.  Watching my steps over the rocks and roots distracted me enough from that lactic acid burn building up in my legs.  Sailing down the South Koons trail (also leaf free) was practically delightful!   At the bottom of the hill, the boggy trail that ran along the Messalonskee fulfilled the promise of the race director, Jeff Tucker. My shoes did indeed get soaked, despite my best efforts to hop over the puddles (ponds) in the trail. 
 
Overall, the race was quintessential type II fun!
 
The after party was a perfect reward.  It featured beer from Cushnoc Brewing, grilled food from Grandpa's Kitchen, an awards ceremony, and a raffle.  It was an all around pleasant time relaxing and chatting with the other runners.  I am looking forward to tackling this race again next year!

Full race results from the Quarry Road TrailFest 5k and 15k races can be found here.

For some reason, I have always been compelled to get a hot dog costume and run in it… It’s probably because going around saying, “well hot dawg!” is oddly compelling. On October 29th, I finally decided to give it a try at the Wicked 10k with my brother and his wife, dressed as mustard and ketchup, respectively, who were running the 5k.
 
The race was full of other runners wearing a variety of costumes which made for an interesting and fun experience. The day started off cool which was perfect considering the full body hot dog costume I was wearing. As I toed the line, I figured I would just take it easy and have fun with it. Shooting for my typical easy run pace. That all changed when the air horn went off signaling the start.
 
As the run started, my legs were moving surprisingly comfortably despite the outfit I chose to wear. Since there was a dual start for the 5k/10k, there was no way to tell who was competing in which event or gage where I was in the 10k pack, so I just tried to maintain the comfortably hard pace. Once we completed the first loop, 10k runners continued for a second and the field decreased to me and another runner I had been with for nearly the whole race. It was at this point that I realized I may win this thing… as a hot dog. We cruised along the beautiful coastal course for a second loop and came in for the finish. I was the first hot dog finisher/first female finisher!

​On Saturday, October 15th 42 runners gathered at the Kennebec River Rail Trail in Augusta for the Save Your Breath 5k. This event is a fundraiser to help support Free ME from Lung Cancer's mission to conduct research, help uninsured high-risk patients get access to early detection via low dose CT scans, help single-family low-income homeowners get access to radon air abatement systems, and to establish Covid relief funds in Maine hospitals to help keep the high-risk patients and front-line workers safe.

​There was a great showing for Central Maine Striders! Sapan Bhatt was the 2nd male finishing with a time of 18:44.43 behind 1st place male finisher Kyle Simmons of Lewiston who had a time of 17:51.54. Heather Cable finished as the 1st overall female finisher with a time of 19:56.35, while Lindsey Madison was first for her age group.  Jason Gredlics and Karl Foss rounded out the Striders finishers with times of 33:40.07 and 44:39.18, respectively.

More Save Your Breath 5k photos, courtesy of Maine Running Photos, can be found here.
​ 
Full Results
1 320 Kyle Simmons 17:51.54 5:45 37 M Lewiston
2 312 Sapan Bhatt 18:44.43 6:03 33 M Waterville
3 372 Benjamin DeMerchant 19:49.74 6:24 35 M Augusta
4 394 Heather Cable 19:56.35 6:26 29 F Augusta
5 386 Preston Walling 21:21.30 6:53 29 M Gardiner
6 318 Steven Dubois 21:45.63 7:01 50 M Lisbon Falls
7 384 Adam Schoff 22:08.24 7:08 38 M Farmington
8 395 Heather Freeman 22:57.35 7:24 27 F Smithfield
9 331 Alice Cregg 23:37.71 7:37 51 F Buckfield
10 385 Sarah Martin 23:53.38 7:42 56 F starks
11 344 Phoebe Olcott 24:09.95 7:47 11 F Brunswick
12 382 Susan A Olcott 24:12.04 7:48 45 F Brunswick
13 397 Lindsey Madison 25:03.85 8:05 34 F Waterville
14 307 Ryan Grant 25:52.47 8:21 13 M Sabattus
15 398 Lizzie Baker 25:57.13 8:22 41 F Harpswell
16 373 Bart Shattuck 26:04.80 8:25 65 M Winslow
17 327 Marsha Brown 26:47.15 8:38 44 F Augusta
18 336 Tina McGillicuddy 27:48.15 8:58 43 F Lisbon
19 349 Rikki Garcia 27:50.34 8:59 31 F Clinton
20 399 Dylan Dillaway 28:14.38 9:06 44 M Vassalboro
21 313 Leah Hultstrom 29:47.28 9:36 21 F York
22 326 Johnida Dockens 29:49.09 9:37 50 F Searsport
23 319 Sue Kistenmacher 30:57.81 9:59 68 F Farmingdale
24 370 Julie Keithley 31:10.43 10:03 51 F Chelsea
25 392 Catharine Audette 31:49.56 10:16 43 F Winthrop
26 388 Vicki Bennett 32:08.04 10:22 52 F Weld
27 371 Carol Hope 32:12.23 10:23 56 F Sutton
28 314 Lauren Schoff 32:54.53 10:37 22 F Cape Neddick
29 317 Nathan McGillicuddy 33:05.60 10:40 13 M Lisbon
30 329 Jason Gredlics 33:40.07 10:52 33 M South Portland
31 375 Jennifer Small 34:02.70 10:59 53 F Richmond
32 393 Melissa Hannon 34:53.91 11:15 52 F Kents Hill
33 383 Norann Garcia 35:42.51 11:31 33 F Clinton
34 321 Kasey Hutchinson 37:41.22 12:09 2 F Gardiner
35 376 Rebecca L Grant 38:00.96 12:15 42 F Sabattus
36 389 Reagan Grant 38:01.04 12:16 11 F Sabattus
37 379 Nancy Morin 39:19.32 12:41 51 F Winthrop
38 323 Taylor Coutts 43:33.46 14:03 12 F Augusta
39 325 Samantha Coutts 44:23.12 14:19 40 F Augusta
40 390 KARL FOSS 44:39.18 14:24 41 M Waterville
41 396 Marcus Hall 44:39.26 14:24 44 M Waterville
42 324 Holly Morgan 57:28.71 18:32 43 F Augusta