The 6th annual Run/Walk Trek for Life 5K will be held Saturday, June 25, at 9 a.m. at Thomas College in Waterville. The race benefits Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area and L.N. Clark Inspiration Network. 

Advance registration is available online. Check-in and day-of registration starts at 8 a.m. The race starts at 9 a.m. and begins and ends at Thomas College.

The race route begins at 180 West River Road in Waterville at Thomas College and proceeds north towards Kennedy Memorial Drive. The route turns around at Roland Street and back then past the start to Eaglewood Drive (the sports fields) and down the back way through campus to the finish line.

Long-time Strider member Donnajean Pohlman is the event's race director.

Registration is $20. Register today!

Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area (HVWA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 that serves 27 communities in Central Maine. It exists to provide non-medical support to individuals and their families during the last phases of life, to loved ones throughout the grieving process, and to educate the community regarding issues related to death and grieving. Bereavement services are available to anyone who has sustained loss either through illness or unexpectedly. HVWA is volunteer based and community funded. 

The L.N. Clark Inspiration Network is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, established in 2008. Its goal is to help Maine cancer patients and their families. So many people need support and services in many areas during their medical oncology journey. Its passion is to lighten the burden and stress for the individuals in a meaningful way. A cancer patient's journey is a massive challenge; trying to get help should not be.

To register: ​https://runsignup.com/Race/ME/Waterville/TrekforLife5K

by Erzsie Nagy

​While it was definitely a hard decision to miss track season this spring at Middlebury, I am 100 percent sure that I made the right choice in studying abroad here in New Zealand. The only time that I’ve been on a track this semester was during a casual beer mile, but that’s not to say that I haven’t been racing.

I have been lucky (or crazy…?) enough to compete in some really cool mountain races, which has been something that I’ve always wanted to do. Unlike any races I have ever done, I am learning the beauty of racing on trails for over an hour at a time.

The first mountain race I entered here was called Three Peaks, a 26-km course that covered three mountains. This was my first time running with a backpack because we had to carry compulsory gear (leggings, rain jacket, gloves, hat) in case the weather took a turn for the worse. After my first experience with mountain races several weeks ago, my love of running was definitely revitalized. Running the Three Peaks mountain race was unlike anything I had ever done, and it pushed the preconceived limits that I had set for myself.

Once my legs had recovered from that 26-km adventure, I searched for another opportunity to test myself. Luckily, New Zealand has heaps of these things; I discovered the Queenstown Mountain Run and signed up after convincing a couple of friends to run it with me. I hadn’t been to Queenstown yet, and this seemed like a pretty solid excuse to visit.

I tried to think back to Three Peaks and my mentality going into that race. One of the reasons that I think it went so well for me was because I had no expectations. I ran to finish, to see what I was capable of, because it seemed like a cool thing to try out. Admittedly, it was harder to have that mindset for the Queenstown Mountain Run because I knew from that experience that I had a chance to place highly.

There were 4km, 8km, and 12km races, so naturally I picked the longest one! Because it rained the ENTIRE week in Queenstown leading up to the race, the courses had to be changed. So the race was essentially a hill workout on crack.

For the 12km race, we completed four loops up to the Skyline gondola and then back to a midway point along the course (but I think this was actually easier than the initial course because of the large amount of downhill in between each ascent).

I was surprisingly pretty calm at the starting line, and three key lessons that I learned from Three Peaks really helped me:

1. It’s okay to walk!! Seriously. Walk. While I had initially imagined that you are supposed to RUN for the entirety of mountain races, I quickly learned the importance of walking. It saves so much energy and (sadly enough) can be just as fast. And apart from the wicked fast guys floating up the course like gazelles, I wasn’t getting passed when I walked. Because everyone else was walking too! I would try to lean forward and press down on my legs in an effort to power up each hill. Then, I would start to run again when I was ready, which brings me to my next point:
2. 
   If you can control your breathing, you have ultimate control over your body. My dad has preached this to me before, and what do you know? I think he’s on to something. I use this tool as a way to check in with my body on my regular runs, but I find it especially helpful during these tough races. I time my breathing with my stride, which is almost like having gears while I’m running. An easy pace is as much as five strides spent inhaling and four spent exhaling (always one more breath in than out); four in-three out is also a pretty casual pace. During the race, I find that I can sustain three in-two out. This feels like an effort, but I know that I can keep up this pace for a while.
   
   When I couldn’t hold this breathing pattern and could only manage two strides per inhale, that’s when I started to walk. I knew that if I was to continue running, things would rapidly deteriorate (i.e. collapsing/memory loss/delirium). Once I regained control of my breathing, I would continue running. This strategy helped SO much. I think this is especially helpful for me because I tend to push myself over my limits without realizing it; by controlling my breathing, I know that I have control over my body.
3. 
   Don’t underestimate the downhills. Seriously. Don’t. I never imagined that running downhill was so difficult. But it takes extreme skill and strength. It also contributes the most to my post-race soreness (hello quads, I feel you). During Three Peaks, I was passed by more old guys on the downhill sections than I would like to admit. Yeah, those old guys will get you. I am still trying to find the right balance of running downhill safely and quickly. Because the course was so muddy in Queenstown, this made the safety part especially tricky. 
   
   I found it helpful to repeat words like smooth, confident, and light in my head. And I would do my best to NOT think about falling. As soon as you tell yourself not to fall, all you think about is the different ways in which you could fall. Positive thoughts only!

On the fourth and final loop, I was passed by the woman who ended up winning the women’s open 12 km. I was less than a minute behind her, and while it would have been nice to win (obviously), I did what I could. I am realizing more that I can only control myself during a race so there is no point in worrying about my competitors. When I was passed, I didn’t quit. I pushed myself the right amount and crossed the finish line in about an hour and a half, smiling!

It is so nice to finish a race without the delirium that I have been battling the past two cross-country seasons. I felt so accomplished and proud of my body, and I remembered the entire thing! And now NO hill on any cross-country course will ever feel impossible. 

Strider member Mike Brooks of Benton, Maine, is celebrating his 70th birthday this year by attempting to run seven marathons in seven days in seven states—all to raise funds for Camp Sunshine.

Camp Sunshine, located on Maine's Sebago Lake, is a place of retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.  The program is free of charge to families and includes on-site medical and psychosocial support.

Mike will take on his "Riverboat Challenge" April 17 through April 23 starting with a marathon in Louisiana, followed by ones in Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois. Those seven marathons also will bring him closer to completing his 500th marathon. 

An Auburn, Maine, firefighter for 33 years, Mike's transition from an overweight, two-pack a day smoker to an ultrarunning man is incredibly inspiring! He's completed the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon (and kept on going another 22 miles to the summit of Mt. Whitney), 24-hour races, the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Six Day Race (320 miles completed), and the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Ten Day Race (491 miles completed). And he's raised thousands of dollars for Camp Sunshine along the way.

Mike is currently just over halfway to his goal of raising $15,000 for this worthy cause.

You can read more about Mike, his marathon challenge, and donate to the fundraiser at:
​https://www.crowdrise.com/mikebrooks70thcelebration/fundraiser/campsunshineatsebago

Good luck, Mike! We're rooting for you.

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/