Below please find the 2015 annual financial report for Central Maine Striders, courtesy of the club's treasurer, Ron Peck.

Congratulations to Chris Poirier (37:01) and Hannah Raymond (41:38) the men's and women's winners respectively of the second annual Quarry Snow Shuffle 5K snowshoe race. The event was held on Sunday, February 7, at Quarry Road Trails in Waterville.

Thanks to all who joined the race or the 1-mile family fun run/snowshoe walk. All proceeds from the event benefited the nonprofit WinterKids.

If you missed this race, check out the March 20th Quarry Storm 5 Mile Snowshoe Race.

Quarry Snow Shuffle 5K Snowshoe Race
February 9, 2016

Place and Name                  Sex        Age       Team                           Time

1. Chris Poirier                  M           42                                                 37:01
2. Hannah Raymond        F            31                                                  41:38
3. Anne Charles                F            40                                                   41:38
4. JP Kennedy                   M           43          Lake George Tri              41:39
5. Emily Bilodeau             F             37                                                   43:05
6. Amelia Conlon             F             31                                                    43:22 
7. Nick Grard                   M            15                                                     44:01 
8. Melanie Smith             F             36                                                      44:10
9. Emily Widor                 F             30                                                      44:10
10. Stephanie LeBlanc     F             46                                                      46:58
11. Vera Maheu                 F            47                                                      49:55
12. Alissa Roy                    F             39                                                      50:30 
13. Kelley Dow                  F             35                                                      52:54
14. Craig Jackson              M           44                                                       52:54
15. Kacia Satchi                 F                                                                        1:10:00
16. Faith Kagwa                 F                                                                        1:10:00
17. James Manzer             M                                                                       1:10:00

More event info and images can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/476243799228493/

Central Maine Striders
Tuesday, February 9, at 6 p.m.
Alfond Youth Center Board Room

1. Member Update

• Total now 109 vs YTD2015 112
• Memberships 60 vs YTD 2015 64

1a. What do we offer our members? What should we offer?
Discussion / suggestions included:

• Discounts on merchandise, race entry fees

Community building by way of:

• Group runs
• Track workouts (evening vs morning for better attendance?)
• Group training for a specific event (i.e. Sugarloaf Marathon)

Advocacy:

• Ron Peck mentioned getting the bike path plowed
• Helping with existing events as opposed to creating new ones.

​
2. Treasurer report (Ron Peck)

3. Meeting time change

• Future meetings will be the second Wednesday of each month, at 6 p.m., Alfond board room. 
• The next meeting is March 9.

4. Upcoming Races

• We discussed a few upcoming races but none of us had exact dates/locations.

5a. Other: Mt. Washington Road Race:

• Ron Paquette explained the CMS involvement with the Mt Washington Road Race. (He has a letter that he received from the race directors.) Ron will contact Alicia with details on how members can sign up as part of the CMS team, as individuals, and as volunteers. We are asked to provide at least 5 volunteers for the race.

5b. Other: Snow Shuffle 5K :

• Gines Satchi gave a Snow Shuffle 5K report. Fortunately the weather cooperated and there was enough snow for the event. This year's date conflicted with a few other running/snowshoeing events. 

5c. Storage of CMS items:

• Beth Bridger will store cones, signs, etc that are currently in Patrick Guerrette's office.

6. Next meeting (March 9): 

• Chris Riley from NEMBA will attend to get some feedback on September 11, 2016, Tread Fest trail running race(s). 

Want to run up New Hampshire's Mt. Washington with Central Maine Striders?

The club has had a team entered at the Northeast Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road Race for many years. The 2016 race will be held on Saturday, June 18. To learn more about this challenging, all-uphill, 7.6-mile race up the Auto Road, visit: mountwashingtonroadrace.com

If you are interested in running the 2016 Mt. Washington Road Race as part of the Central Maine Striders team, please contact ​Ron Paquette at upbeat@uninets.net​ as soon as possible, and no later than Saturday, February 27. There are a limited number of entries per team for club members. Once Ron hears from you, he will get back to you about the procedures.

If not interested in running as a team, open registration for interested runners begins on February 18 via a lottery system.

Central Maine Striders is an entirely volunteer-run organization. It's our members who help support the club and local runners and races in so many ways, from directing races to volunteering at finish lines to serving as club officers. To recognize these essential efforts, the following Striders were honored at the club's annual banquet on January 12.

Sponsor of the Year: Brian Morin
​
Brian Morin was selected as the Strider Sponsor of the year for his generosity supporting several races in the Central Maine community not only as a generous sponsor, but also as a regular competitor in many local 5K's. Brian, an orthodontist in Waterville and also father to youth award winner Cecilia above, is also a regular volunteer at Waterville High School cross country and track meets and at Central Maine Ski Club events. ​

Thanks for your support, Brian!

Race Director of the Year: Kate Cooley

Kate Cooley almost single-handedly took it upon herself to organize and direct the first Ron Paquette Riverfest 5K. As race director, she designed an accurate, challenging, and scenic course.  She obtained the necessary civic permissions, even closing a street to car traffic on race morning. She organized a sizable volunteer corps to man registration, corners, traffic control, the finish line, and awards. The race's staging and finish area provided ample parking, bathrooms, plentiful refreshments, unique awards, and even a nearby outdoor breakfast spot.

After she pulled this off for a second consecutive year, the Striders chose to recognize Kate as Race Director of the Year. Kate also served as the club's secretary through 2015. She accepted her award from longtime Strider member and volunteer Tom McGuire.

​Thank you, Kate!

Volunteers of the Year: Kristina Guerette
and John Manzer 

Kristina Guerette has played a critical role in almost every single Central Maine race for the past couple of years. And if you ever ran one of the Quarry Road Summer Race Series race, you probably met her at registration. Whether working the registration and results table, gathering race materials, or backing up husband Patrick as he directed several local races, Kristina played a vital, behind-the-scenes role at many Strider races and local events.

Every Tuesday evening throughout the summer John Manzer would travel from his home in Belgrade to work the finish line at the Quarry Road Summer Race Series in Waterville. He would then turn around and perform the same duty on Thursday nights at the Bond Brook 5K Trail Race Series in Augusta. In addition to these volunteer duties, John has been a force in initiating and carrying on the Kennebec River Rail Trail Half Marathon along the Augusta/Gardiner waterfront.

For their many tireless hours, Kristina and John are our Volunteers of the Year. Thank you, Kristina and John!

Striders of the Year: Patrick Guerette and Alicia MacLeay

Over the years the club's membership has cast ballots for Strider of the Year based on an individual's recent running achievements. From time to time, however, we've chosen to honor special Striders for their noteworthy contributions to the club.

What could be more important to a diverse and geographically widespread organization such as ours than to have a trustworthy vehicle for communication amongst our members? We'd like to recognize Alicia MacLeay, the club's communications officer, as Strider of the Year for her efforts in transforming the club's communications in a colorful, clear, and lively way that has helped bring us into the digital age and connect with our members, and potential members.

Who would have guessed all those years ago when that core group of Striders used to gather for our weekly Saturday breakfasts at Killarney's that the little grandson who Bonnie, our waitress, used to brag about would one day be our club president? Patrick Guerette has been responsible for lifting the Striders out of the doldrums over the past several years and once again establishing us as a force for running and a healthful lifestyle in Central Maine. For his efforts and enthusiasm in starting kids running programs and for his contribution to running and racing in general, we'd like to present Patrick with our Strider of the Year Award. Patrick served as the club's president for the past four years.

Thank you, Patrick and Alicia!