I ran cross country and track in high school, but didn’t have what it takes to make a team at The University of Arizona where I went to college. Without the team competition, my running miles quickly dropped off to nothing. I would occasionally go through short periods of running, racing in local 5K’s, and even managed to grind out my first marathon finish a few weeks after graduating from Arizona. This trend (minus the marathon running) continued throughout my 20’s and much of my 30’s. The combination of being busy at work, poor training plans leading to running injuries, and other hobbies and interests always got in the way of me ever being competitive.

Then, a few years ago, I decided to get serious about running again with the simple goal of breaking 20 minutes in a 5K.  A friend suggested I read 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower by Matt Fitzgerald. Following the training plans in this book, I had my 5K time under 19 minutes and set my sights on running a marathon again.

​The same friend said I could qualify for Boston, but I didn’t believe him. Last March, I laced up for my first marathon in 18 years at the Tobacco Road Marathon in North Carolina. Despite my nerves and stomach trying to get the best of me, I finished with a Boston-Qualifying time of 3:11:12, a huge improvement over my 3:52:38 in my only previous marathon attempt. 

When I found myself moving to Waterville with my wife (who now works at Colby College), I probably spent too much time scouring the internet looking for Maine running clubs and races. But I discovered the Central Maine Striders, and soon after moving up last summer I ran in one of the Quarry Road Trail Races and attended a potluck and group run. Since then, I’ve improved upon my marathon time at the 2017 Chicago Marathon (2:58:21) and am currently running with the Dirigo RC master’s team in the USATF New England Road Race Grand Prix series. 

As Vice President of the Central Maine Striders, I’m looking forward to organizing more group runs, increasing the number of active members, fostering a friendly spirit of competition, and trying to organize more Striders teams to race together.

I’m also really looking forward to running in more Maine and New England races, including my first Boston Marathon in a couple weeks.

• Favorite Race:  Chicago Marathon
• Favorite Run:  A lap around Forest Park in St. Louis, one of the largest urban parks in the U.S.
• Favorite Running Gear:  My Garmin Forerunner GPS watch. I’m a bit of a map and numbers geek, so running with a GPS watch provides entertainment on many levels for me.
• Favorite Running Advice:  Run slow to race fast (and not get injured)
• Favorite Running Quote:  “Jane, that’s, like, almost a mile!” – Angela, American Beauty

Below is the 2017 annual financial report for the club, submitted by Ron Peck, treasurer.

Meet Geoff Hill

I ​began running cross-country in sophomore year of high school in Rochester, New York, simply to get into shape for ice hockey in the winter and discovered I loved running trails in the woods. I achieved varsity letters in cross-country and track and graduated high school in 1964.

I participated in other sports but did not run seriously again until 1975 while living near Berkeley, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Several friends and I started a small, personal running club and entered 5K and 10K races in the Bay Area, also running on trails behind UC Berkeley.

I moved to Belgrade, Maine, in 1982 and joined the Central Maine Striders that same year, running on my camp road to get into shape and introducing myself to central Maine by running 10K’s.  This is the same year I met Gene and Sarah Roy, Ron Paquette, Dean Rasmussen, Jim Moore, Chris Bovie, and David Baird, all Central Maine Strider members. I also coached track and cross-country at Winslow and Waterville High Schools and was race director for the Belgrade Lakes 10K for three years. In addition, I helped Gene Roy, who was the race director for the January Thaw in Belgrade.
 
I achieved the best condition of my life in 1983 and posted personal bests of 34:28 at the Rockland Lobster Festival 10K and 3 hours 12 minutes at the Casco Bay Marathon. (I know, hard to believe, looking at me now; but I weighed 175 pounds then, not 240!) I ran four marathons all together, the last one the San Francisco Marathon in 1990, and also ran Mt. Washington four times.  I was awarded Comeback Strider of the Year in 1987 after I got sober and began running seriously again.
 
I was forced to stop running in 1994 when I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the hips and since have had both hips replaced. I still volunteered at various local races for the Striders. For the last seven years I have co-directed the January Thaw Road Race with Gene and Ron Paquette.  Our theme is still penguins!

Meet Gene Roy

I joined the Striders in January of 1978 and have been club president twice. I've coached at Winslow High School, but the last 21 years I've coached at Thomas, Unity, and Colby colleges in either track or cross country. I'm married to Sarah, a runner, and we have five children and seven grandchildren, and counting.

​Awards:

• RRCA National Volunteer Award
• Inducted into Maine Running Hall of Fame 2004
• Profiled in New England Running magazine

I have directed more than 100 road races (still active), including the Maine Woods Trail Marathon and one year of the Sugarloaf Marathon.

Results (all when I was half my age now):

• 50 miles: 7:24
• Marathon: 2:49
• Half: 1:19
• Mt. Washington: 1:19
• 10 miles: 58:36
• 10K: 34.32
• 4 miles: 22:14

I also have raced nordic and triathlons for many years.

My favorite race is the Sugarloaf Marathon.

Goals: I plan on entering trail races, since my knees and ankles don’t like pavement any more.

​On Wednesday, March 21, please join fellow Central Maine Striders for food, drinks, awards, voting on officers, plus free gloves and stickers* at Mainely Brews Brewhouse & Restaurant in Waterville for the club’s annual dinner.

Maybe you’ve seen other Striders at local running races and events. Well, here’s your chance to meet and connect over dinner and drinks.

Central Maine Striders Annual Dinner
Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 6 p.m.
Mainely Brews Brewhouse & Restaurant
1 Post Office Road, Waterville

All ages are welcome!

Food and Drink
The club will provide appetizers. Drinks and dinner will be available for purchase from Mainely Brews.
​
Meeting
During dinner we will recognize members for Club Awards and also will hold the Election of Officers (link to ballot below).

*FREE Gloves and Stickers!
We're giving all 2018 Central Maine Striders members a pair of CMS gloves and some club stickers as thanks for being part of our club. Gloves and stickers will be available for pickup at the annual dinner.

All members and friends of the club are welcome. We hope to see you on March 21st at Mainely Brews!

Join or renew now for 2018: https://www.centralmainestriders.com/join.html

The 2018 Northeast Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road Race will take place on Saturday, June 16. Anyone that would like to run the challenging 7.6-mile race to the top must apply for a slot by entering a lottery. Lottery registration is open now through February 26.  

Runners can enter the race lottery at:
mountwashingtonroadrace.com

Lottery entrants will be informed on March 1 if they are accepted.

If you are rejected, you may contact Central Maine Striders to request a spot in the race. There are a limited number of entries per team for club members. Runners will have to provide a volunteer to assist the club on race day.
​
Please contact Ron Paquette for more info, if you may want a slot, or to help coordinate club volunteers and runners: uphill@uninets.net

The club has had a team entered at the Mt. Washington Road Race for many years. The 2018 race will be held on Saturday, June 16. To learn more about this challenging, all-uphill, 7.6-mile race up the Auto Road, visit: mountwashingtonroadrace.com

Meeting notes from the December 13, 2017, Central Maine Striders club meeting:

Central Maine Striders is the oldest, active running club in the state of Maine. To keep our club thriving we need members, like you, to engage and help lead our club, grow our membership, and increase our offerings.

Joining the Striders Board of Directors as an officer is one way to get involved, especially as we're currently in need of people to fill several positions. Officers serve two-year terms, with the option to be reelected once, for a total of four consecutive years. The board meets monthly, along with any interested members, outside of summer. The next club meeting is Wednesday, December 13, at 6 p.m. at The End Zone (38 College Ave, Waterville).

Nominations are underway for 2018-19 Central Maine Striders club officers. Here is our current slate of 2018-19 officers up for election.

2018-19 Club Officers

President

• Brendan Gilpatrick (second and final term)

 
Vice President
The vice president position has been vacant for the past year. The VP helps with planning club events (potlucks, the annual meeting and awards, group runs, etc), among other duties. If interested in serving, please send an email to run@centralmainestriders.com.

Secretary

• Shara Marquis (first term)

Other (Membership)
Other officers, such as a Membership Coordinator, may be elected as deemed necessary by the Board of Directors. If interested in assisting the club in this essential way, or another way, please send an email to: run@centralmainestriders.com.

Final Terms
Please note that Ron Peck (Treasurer) and Alicia MacLeay (Communications) will finish their second and final terms as officers at the end of 2018. Their positions will be vacant as of January 2019.

Get Involved
If you have any interest in getting involved with Striders in 2018 or beyond, please come to a monthly club meeting. The next meeting is Wednesday, December 13, at 6 p.m. at The End Zone in Waterville. Or send an email to run@centralmainestriders.com.

Let us know your individual interests and skills. We're always looking for members to volunteer in the ways most meaningful and appropriate for them and to whatever extent their schedule allows. 

That could mean arranging group runs and potlucks (a top request among members), organizing member benefits to local businesses, coordinating Striders race teams for events, writing race reports for the website, and so on.

The possibilities for Central Maine Striders are up to you, our members!

Article 5: Officers (Excerpted from Central Maine Striders By-Laws)
 
5.1
The officers of the Corporation shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, a Clerk, and such other officers as may be deemed necessary by the Board of Directors. Any two or more shall be elected by the Members at the Annual Meeting thereof, and shall hold their offices until their successors are chosen and have qualified or until their earlier resignation, death, incapacity, or removal from office.  It shall not be necessary to elect the Clerk annually. The Clerk shall be elected by the Board of Directors and shall serve until either his or her resignation, death, incapacity, or removal from office by the Board of Directors.

5.2
​ The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Corporation and shall have such other duties and responsibilities as the Board of Directors may delegate or designate. He shall, when present, preside at all meetings of the Members and Directors, and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the Board of Directors are carried into effect.
 
5.3
The Vice-President shall, in the absence of the President, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President, and while so doing, shall have all of the powers and duties herein given to or imposed upon the President.
 
5.4 
The Treasurer shall be the financial officer of the Corporation, and shall, subject to the control of the Board of Directors, have immediate charge of the books of account and of the corporate funds and securities. He shall disperse the funds of the Corporation as directed by the Board of Directors, deposit such funds in the name of the Corporation in such depositories as are designated by the Board of Directors, and shall keep records of account showing accurately at all times the financial condition of the Corporation, which records of account shall at all times be open to the inspection of the Directors.  He shall also furnish to the President and to the Board of Directors, whenever requested, a statement of the financial condition of the Corporation and shall perform all other duties incident to his office and such other duties as may be prescribed by these By-Laws, the Directors, or the Members.  The Treasurer shall, if required by the Directors, give bond, to be held by the President for the faithful discharge of his duties, in such sum and with such sureties as the Directors may require or approve.
 
5.5
The Secretary shall keep a record of the correspondence of the Corporation, and of the business transacted at all meetings of the Board of Directors and at the Annual or special meeting of the Members of the Corporation; and shall maintain the role of the Members of the Corporation and their addresses.  The Secretary shall also perform such other duties as the Board of Directors may from time to time direct.
 
5.6
The Clerk shall be a resident of the State of Maine and shall perform all duties required by the Maine Non-Profit Corporation Act, and such other duties as the Board of Directors may from time to time direct.
 
5.7
Any other officers of the Corporation shall perform such duties as the Board of Directors may from time to time direct.

 5.8
​ All club officers have term limits of 2 years with an option to run for an additional 2 years in the same role. After 4 consecutive years, club officers must vacate their current office. This officer may hold another position within the club following their 4 year term. Officers may run for a previous position in which they had reached term limits, so long as a minimum of 1 term (2 years) has passed, or they are appointed due to an unexpected vacancy.