by Sapan Bhatt Race Date: May 12, 2024 Location: Eustis, ME to Kingfield, ME Distance: 26.2 miles Pre-Race: The Sugarloaf Marathon is one of the few Spring Maine marathons and hugely popular Boston Qualifying race due to its elevation drop of ~1000ft from miles 10-26. I chose to drive up from Waterville the morning of the race, leaving at 4:45am to make the 7am start time. Cathedral Pines, the starting location, is quintessential Maine forestry; picturesque pines growing tall standing guard over the two-lane road. The campground buzzed with excitement; runners warming up, bib check-in (which was very quick, only 5min of waiting), and a nice bag drop. Bathroom situation was a bit squirrely, there were plenty of them but a parked bus prevented people from lining up properly in front of them. That led to Billy and I lining up about a minute before start. Me, Shannon, and Billy before the race Miles 1-5: The race began with a surge of adrenaline as we crossed the starting line. It’s a flat shot out of the pine trees on route 27. Conditions were pretty ideal, about 40F at the start warming to 50F as the day progressed. The pace seemed speedy from the start; with 60+ runners all going out at 6:40 pace or faster. Many thanks to course feedback from Julie, Ryan, Drew and others who all said to go conservatively until you crest to hill at mile 10. The scenery reminded me of the Downeast Sunrise Trail with the added beauty of mountains in the background. For anyone from a city, I can see why this would be a destination race. Miles 6-10: The rhythm set in nicely by mile 5. This was true for me in much of my training too; you don’t loosen up until about mile 4. There were plenty of fluid stops which were well stocked (many thanks to all the volunteers). I planned on using 4 GU gels (miles 8,13,18, 23). For the next one, I would probably add another 1 or 2. The major climb goes from mile 8 to about mile 10.5 and I took down my first gel before the ascent. I tucked in with a couple of guys who were also planning for 2:56 finishes and slowed down about 20 sec/mile. This worked very well, keeping the strain off the legs. There are 2 steeper sections during the climb, 1 at the beginning and 1 at the end, the rest is more gradual. I stuck with my running buddies until we crested the hill and was grateful to be feeling fresh. Miles 11-20: The downhill after the climb is also no joke. It’s fairly steep and can do a number on your quads. My goal was to keep in control and try to stay loose. That mile was about 20 sec quicker than goal pace so you can definitely make up some time lost on the climb. The course is very forgiving after the hill, flat to slight decline. It was relatively easy to get back into a rhythm and stack some more miles at the 6:40 goal pace. After the halfway mark, a larger pack started to form (we went from 3 of us to about 8) and it was fun rolling along until mile 17/18 as a nice group. Legs were still feeling very good at this point and I was debating to push the pace with about an hour left of racing. I remembered my first marathon, Maine Coast 2018, where I bonked after mile 16. The loss of speed, the burning in my legs, were fresh in my mind and I decided to stick to the 6:40 pace plan until mile 19/20 and then see what was possible. I felt the Saucony Pro 4 was a great choice for a super shoe. It helped keep my legs fresh and kept my momentum going forward. Miles 21-26.2: From 19 on, I was starting to feel it and see the effects of the marathon around me. A few competitors slowed to a walk and the time between miles seemed to stretch. Although I was putting in more intention and energy into picking up the pace, fatigue was dampening my efforts. It’s during the last 8 miles where that extra gel might have left me fresher. After each mile, I envision the distance remaining (just a 10k left, just a 5 miler, just an out and back on Ridge Road, etc.) Another thing which helped was I set my watch to lap time. While it was a little more effort to press the button at each mile, it kept me focused on just the mile I was running and helped me stay in the moment. Once I entered Kingfield, the crowd swelled and I let that adrenaline push me over the finish. 2:53:49, a Boston qualifying time and 17 min off my previous best. Still feeling strong. One complaint I heard was about the camber of the road on this course. I felt the cars were very respectful giving runners the full lane so it was easy to run in the middle where it was level vs. on the shoulder Post-Race: I was able to sync up with Julie and Ron who graciously stuck around the finish for over an hour. Billy and Stephanie came in soon after and it was great to recap with them. Shannon drove from the start to the finish so it was great to see her on course and at the end. The food was on point, basic but well executed. Delicious soups and pastry, chocolate milk (my favorite). If you’re looking for a great entry into the marathon, Sugarloaf is hard to beat. Weather has been ideal for the past couple years, it’s much less hilly than MDI or Maine Marathon in the Fall. Thanks again to everyone who shared advice about training, gear, the course, etc. This was almost a year in the making for me. I was 5+ years removed from the marathon, always saying next year I would train for one. Last June, both my achilles and thought my best running days were behind me. Starting with the Quarry Road summer series, I’ve been building fitness and results which culminated in this race. I did much of my speed work on the treadmill, so if that’s something that fits your schedule/lifestyle better than roads, feel encouraged. Here’s to an exciting summer and more adventures ahead.
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by Mark Fisher
On Saturday at Pinkham’s Notch NH the 63rd running of the Mount Washington Road Race took place on a mostly clear, but very windy and cold Saturday morning. We had a strong contingent of Central Maine Striders participate this year and we were also able to renew our commitment for volunteer support. I want to thank the following Striders for their assistance with parking on Friday evening. Thank you to: Rebecca McGinty Peter Leone Linda Fisher Brett Harder Jeff Ziehler (who stayed to the bitter end!) Doug Allen Mark Fisher With the threat of severe weather all parking and packet pickup took place on the headquarters side of Route 16. With about an hour of intense parking logistics (too many cars, too few slots) the cool heads from CMS prevailed. No fender benders and all seemed to find a spot (eventually) to park and pickup their bibs. The race itself was noteworthy for cold and wind as gusts up to 55 mph and wind chills in the mid to upper 20’s. Thankfully none of that was coupled with any humidity or precipitation which made for a much more manageable (temperature wise) trip up the Rockpile. We can’t use the term comfortable to describe the experience. 105 John McGinty 1:32:34 193 Billy Kobin 1:41:43 203 Ryan Goebel 1:45:14 347 Chris Chadwick 1:54:08 353 Mark Fisher 1:55:18 382 Jeff Ziehler 1:56:18 632 Dean Rasmussen 2:11:42 660 Beth Allen 2:13:43 731 Peter Leone 2:18:21 I sorted by team name in the results so apologies if I missed any Striders in this listing that may not have been noted in the official results under CMS. For those interested in the 2025 running, please reach out to me early in 2025. For each slot taken (we get 5 bibs by supplying 5 volunteers) we need to supply a volunteer. by Ron Peck Ever wanted to run through the Maine woods in the dark? Enjoy staying up all night and riding in cars with other smelly runners? If that sounds like a great time, consider joining a Central Maine Striders team for the Downeast Sunrise Trail Relay (DESTR) in 2024! Teams of up to 8 people run legs of various lengths from Ellsworth to Eastport. DESTR start times are assigned so teams start Friday evening (between 5 pm and midnight-ish), and all teams finish about noon on Saturday. This year, DESTR is July 19-20th. Runners of all abilities are welcome! The only rule is that you can only be a little cranky at four in the morning when you've just run 5 miles with no sleep. Last year, the Striders were proudly represented by two teams: OG and Twopoint0. (Click here for inspirational video montage of our races) We plan to have two teams again, and it would be great to add a third team this year. If you're interested, please email me at [email protected]. I'll keep a list and contact people around April when registration opens to finalize teams. The DESTR was first held in 2014. The Central Maine Striders have taken on this race for the past six years, starting in 2017. This summer additional Striders members voiced an interest in tackling this race. Martha Nadeau stepped up to establish the team CMS 2point0. The 2point0 team was made up of mother-daughter pair Martha Nadeau (captain) and Silvia Ryan, mother-daughter pair Alicia and Maeve Wilcox, mother-daughter pair Amy and Alison Stabins, Heather Cable, and Emiko Peck (daughter of OG racer Ron Peck). Julie Millard would captain the CMS ‘OG’ team, largely made up of the original CMS relay runners: Julie, Ron Peck, Drew McCormick, Sapan Bhatt, Tracy and Pat Cote, Brian Morin, and Jess Beers. DESTR is a run-through-the-night race, with a staggered start based on anticipated finish time- the goal is to have all teams, regardless of pace, finish between 10 am and 12 pm the next morning. The OG team is a speedy group, with an average pace around 7.5 minutes. Their start time was 9:30 pm. The 2point0 team is a touch slower, with a 4:30 pm start time. We were all impressed that four teams had a 1:30 am start time! This whole race is a blur of adrenaline rush and sleep deprivation. The sixteen legs of the race range in distance from 3.5 miles to 10.9 miles. Darkness fell around 8:30, and we were all impressed with the willingness of teenagers Emiko Peck and Maeve Wilcox to run through the absolute darkness. Alison Stabins ran the last few miles before dawn with a dead headlamp. Speed demon Heather Cable offered to take the two longest legs, starting with the first leg. She then gallantly offered to take on an extra leg when one of our members came down with food poisoning- Heather ran almost a whole marathon distance! Silvia Ryan took the last leg, facing hills, traffic, and rising temperatures. Alicia Wilcox had such a good time that she offered to captain the team next year. All of the teams gathered at the finish line in Eastport to cheer on the final runners. Sapan flew across the finish line at 10:36 am. Silvia was not far behind at 11:05 am. After the race both teams backtracked to Pleasant Park for an amazing potluck breakfast, complete with pancakes, fruit, vegan and non-vegan bacon, and homemade bagels from Chef Emiko. We all agreed that this was a fantastic experience we won’t soon forget. by Ryan Goebel with photos from Alicia MacLeay, Butch Parker, Kate Scott, Amy Stabins, and David Colby Young On Saturday, December 9, the Central Maine Striders met at a member's house to hold their annual holiday social, meeting, elections, and jingle bell social run. Most attendees came dressed up in their finest holiday-themed running outfits and ran around 3 miles around the neighborhood. Despite sending out an email earlier in the week reminding the social run group about the start time, Treasurer Ron Peck forgot the meeting time and showed up nearly a half hour late, but still managed to get a couple miles in before the business meeting began. Also before the meeting began, Ian Hepburn took the holiday outfit game to another level by changing out of his light bedazzled running outfit and into a full holiday-themed suit! One of agenda items at the club's year-end meetings is typically some sort of awards. Following the pattern of last year, awards were given out to two members in each of three categories, as chosen by the club's officers. Besides getting a beautiful certificate and the glory of being a Strider award winner, the winners each received a $25 gift card to RunningWarehouse.com (which, combined with the club's 10% discount, technically held a value of $27.78). The 2023 Striders Spirit Award was given to Sapan Bhatt and Alicia McCarthy for their positive spirit while representing the club. Next, the President's Award was given to Julie Millard and Martha Nadeau for their invaluable contributions to the club during the year. And finally, the 2023 Striders of the Year awards went to Billy Kobin and Lindsey Madison for their running achievements while representing the club during the year. While we don't have the room nor the memory to list all the accomplishments of these amazing six club members through out the year, we can say that all of them contributed immensely to the club by volunteering at events, setting various personal bests, hosting other runners for social runs, and just generally being wonderful people who continually show up and participate in our little club.
The final item of business for the evening was to announce the election results. By unanimous decision, the entire Board of Directors was reappointed to their positions. The Board of Directors includes Patrick Guerette, Alicia MacLeay, Tom McGuire, Julie Millard, Ron Peck, and Ron Paquette. Secretary Amy Stabins, Treasurer Ron Peck, and Vice President Kate Scott were all re-elected to their positions, And, Martha Nadeau was elected to be the next club President. Tom McGuire pointed out that Martha will be the club's first woman president, to which Ryan Goebel added that it is also the first time that the majority of the club officers are women.
After the meeting was adjourned, most attendees stuck around to continue eating lasagna, holiday treats, and drink beverages. Some Fireball may have also made the rounds. by Billy Kobin with photos by Julie MIllard Several Striders ran well on the trails of Lost Valley in Auburn and then also drank well at the Backyard Brew Festival on Nov. 4.
The Saturday morning event offered a 5K, 10K and 15K race up, down and around the Lost Valley ski area that had nice and muddy trails in late fall. Lindsey Madison and Billy Kobin were the top female and male finishers, respectively, in the 5K. They cheered on Julie Millard as she won her age group in the 10K and then kept encouraging Ron Peck as he braced three loops of the tough course to take home first place in the 15K. The real fun came afterwards, when a dozen or so brewers - all from Maine - set up tents and offered pours of various beers that tasted even better after a morning trail run. Julie’s favorite beer came from Fluvial Brewing in Harrison (perhaps a field trip to Harrison should happen one of these days). Billy most enjoyed the Mr. Grumpypants (coffee stout) from Norway Brewing Company in Norway. Lindsey and Ron both liked best the choices from Side By Each Brewing Co. in Auburn. Cheers to more runs, beer fests and fun times! 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 Kate's address will be shared with you. We will start off at 5pm with an optional 1-3 mile neighborhood run to enjoy the holiday lights. Jingle bells provided, headlamps and reflective gear recommended, ugly sweaters and/or other holiday costumes are encouraged! Following the run, please join us inside for food, holiday sweets, and a brief annual meeting (including awards and voting for next year's officers). BYOB. Non-alcoholic drinks will be provided. Check your latest club newsletter for the link to the evite! by Julie Millard There’s not much that gets me up before 4:00 AM, but the two events that severely cut into my beauty sleep this summer both involved the Striders! One was the Downeast Sunrise Trail Relay— which hardly counts as “getting up early” as there was no bed the night before— and the other was volunteering at IRONMAN 70.3 Maine.
It was pitch black when fellow Strider Lindsey Madison and I rendezvoused at the local “park and ride” (AKA Marden’s parking lot) for the short trip down to the Augusta boat launch. The sky was showing the first glimmers of light as we picked out our loaner kayaks and paddles from the pile and found the other faithful Strider volunteers, Amy and Allison Stabins and Martha Nadeau. We had a short briefing meeting in which we were given our assignments, then maneuvered our kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards to our designated spots on the river about half an hour before the first wave of triathletes entered the water. At 6 am, the canon signaled the start of the elite men’s race, and the pack churned through the water in a perfectly straight line. Shortly thereafter, the elite women were off, similarly powering through the course on a perfect tangent from buoy to buoy. For the next hour, wave after wave of swimmers went by, and that’s when our work really began. Volunteers flanked the course all the way down the river, and just maintaining location against the current required some serious paddling. Several athletes needed assistance, often holding onto a boat to catch their breath. Others swam completely off course and needed to be wrangled back inside the markers. Motorized police boats patrolled up and down, shouting instructions through bullhorns at volunteers, particularly when a swimmer appeared to be in distress. When the tail end of the competitors finally proceeded down the river, we were each given an assigned swimmer to escort. By about 7 am, the last athlete had made it out of the river and onto their bike for the next leg. The exhilarated volunteers paddled their way back to the boat launch and made it home in time for breakfast! Several other Striders volunteered for the race that weekend by handing out packets, directing athletes along the route, and in other capacities. Shout out to all the Striders, who included Drew McCormick, Jan Santerre, Kate Scott, and Heather Cable—our club volunteers worked together to earn a $500 grant from Ironman, which we will use to further our mission of supporting running in central Maine! Hope to see you on July 28th 2024…on the Kennebec River by Ryan Goebel, with photos by Alicia MacLeay and Ryan Goebel
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