Mother Nature had other plans.  For the second time in the race’s history, the organizers made the decision to halt the race at the halfway point in the interest of runner, volunteer and driver safety.  The conditions at the top of the mountain Saturday were air temperature of ~30 degrees, sustained 60-70 mph winds with gusts to 100 mph.  Sleet and snow and a wind chill of 0-10 degrees.  Nice balmy summer weather.

​The race was quite comfortable with heavy mist and light rainfall for the duration of the race with the occasional gust of wind, patches of sun and back again.  It was at about 3.5 miles when the wrath of the mountain made its initial appearance. The rain/mist mix began to approach a horizontal orientation and it was abundantly clear the organizers of the race made the right choice.  

​Following a quad busting walk, jog and amble down the mountain another successful MTWRR was in the books.  

Ron Paquette and Dean Rasmussen were able to complete their 39th race in a row. Remarkable achievements. 
​

There's a nice little writeup in the May 2022 edition of Down East magazine called "Lessons from Maine's Oldest Running Club.  There are some quotes from current President Ryan Goebel, as well as from former Presidents Gene Roy and Ron Paquette.

You can buy Down East magazine wherever magazines are sold, or you can buy it online here.

Or view it online here.

Mark your calendars!  We are planning a club run and social ​on Saturday, March 12.  We'll meet in Hallowell at noon, go for a short run, and then have some food & drinks at the fire pits at Maine Local Market.   (If there's enough interest, we could also organize for a long-run group to meet earlier)

Email us at run@centralmainestriders.com by Monday, March 7 since we need to make a reservation for the fire pits.

​We hope to see you there!

By Heather Cable

On January 16th, 21 runners returned for the first [in person] January Thaw since 2020! As runners lined up at the starting line, temperatures were just starting to rise above 10 degrees F. Just a typical winter day in Maine, so no problem! 

The race starts at Belgrade Elementary School and travels in a loop briefly on route 27 then turning on to Manchester Rd where runners tackle a series of hills varying in size. A group of runners surged to the front at the start of the race including the men’s first place finisher, Elijah Caret (25:42). As the runners turned onto Manchester rd we became more and more spaced.

​As we neared the mile mark, I could already feel the cold and hills setting into my legs and knew to hang back from the pack a bit. After having been sticking to the treadmill for most of the winter and struggling to determine how to dress for such a chilly race, I wasn’t surprised to be feeling it. When we approached mile 3, there was a steady down hill which felt great and gave you an excellent view of the road to come. At that point, I could taste the finish and was starting to feel warm again. I started to push it to the finish line and finished first female in 32:52 with Matthew Meader right behind me in 33:13. The finishers stuck around to cheer for many of the other runners rolling in. 

The January Thaw was my first race as a Strider and I’m excited to participate in more runs as a part of this group. The race was certainly not the easiest, but it was likely my coldest! It gives runners a great starting point to the new year and some insight into what areas to work on for upcoming races. (I know I came away with some notes!) While it may be chilly/hilly, it was a fun time! I recommend it to anyone in the area. 

Excellent work to all the runners who came out! Thank you to all the volunteers and David Colby Young for the photos!

Derek Huffman:  "I ran my first races since high school (20 years) this year. I broke my 42-minute goal for the Fall Classic 10K by finishing in 6th place with a time of 41:41.  Jessica, June (7), and Wade (3) Huffman, ran their first races (ever!) in the Quarry Road Summer Running Series. We look forward to many more races in the coming years!"

Amy Stabins: "My greatest accomplishment in 2021 is competing in the TUCARD race.  It was in an area I'm unfamiliar with, with people I didn't  know, and as I get older I get less and less competitive (ie, I'm likely to come in last...).  But the race looked like so much fun and I'm so glad I did it!"

Harold Shaw:  "Very simply, to still be running and being healthy enough to run. It seemed that the first half of 2021 was devoted to various injuries and that the older you get the longer it takes for those things to heal so you can do what you love. Now, to get comfortable enough to get back to racing and life will be good again. ​😊"

Patrick Guerette:  "​I had some really great experiences this year; first 100mi, Mt. Washington, Jay Peak 53.1k... but getting an actual win at the Strider Fall Classic, was my first race win in a while.  Also, I'd like to add/share that my wife [Kristina Guerette] ran Boston 9 weeks postpartum, I am sure she would love the recognition :-) "

Laurel King:  "My greatest running accomplishment of 2021 was the Mt. Washington Road Race. My time wasn't anything to brag about, but I actually had fun running those 4,650 vertical feet."

Ryan Goebel:  "After more than two years of not being able to race due to injury, I returned to racing and even surprised myself on how well I ran in several races, including the Flight Deck Half Marathon, Central Maine Striders Fall Classic 10k, Save Your Breath 5k, and Millinocket Marathon.  It feels great to be back to running regularly and being able to compete."

Beth Bridger:  "The best thing that happened in my running world this year was finding a whole bunch of new friends who are just as passionate about running as I am. As much as I love running my body tells me I need to back off. So I'll be volunteering and cheering and telling everyone about the joys of running. One of the best days I had in 2021 was interacting with the Thomas College track & field team during a fundraiser. Seeing the impact that the sport and their coaches have on these athletes reminded me that I absolutely need to continue to be involved with runners and trackies. Here's to a new year a new adventures in running."

Upon re-entering the Elk's Lodge, another person made a comment about my ice beard.  After sitting down inside, I took out my phone to take a selfie and see what my ice beard looked like before it melted too much.  At this point, I realized why my ice beard was getting comments.  I had a couple icicles hanging from it that looked like a couple of horns.  It was definitely the best looking ice beard that I've ever sported.

I think Strider Martha Nadeau summed up the experience perfectly:  "This is the Best Worst race ever. While the course itself is challenging, cold, and depressing; the warmth and excitement from the spectators, aid station, and other runners is absolutely amazing!"

​I think it took me close to 3 hours (and an order of French fries, potato chips, cheeseburger, and two Cokes) to get enough energy to make my way out of the Elk's Lodge and onto the shuttle bus back to my hotel.