Blog Posts

CMS Trivia Night #2

1/14/2021

Members had so much fun at the club's first online trivia event that they demanded another trivia night. As part of the winning team from the first event, Julie Millard graciously volunteered to host and provide the questions this time around. Although many members struggled with their knowledge of Maine Olympians, Brian Morin, Amy Stabins, and Alicia Wilcox pulled out the win and earned themselves each a new Central Maine Striders pint glass.

We're not sure when, but we promise that there will be a third Striders trivia night. You should join us!

Central Maine Striders Gear Available At Joseph's Sporting Goods

1/2/2021

Just a reminder that you can purchased Central Maine Striders shirts, singlets, and hats at Joseph's Sporting Goods in Waterville. Click here to download the pricing sheet.

To order, you can call Joseph's at (207) 660-6676, or stop by their store at 146 Kennedy Memorial Drive in Waterville.

Meet Our Members: Cecilia Morin

1/2/2021

I started running when I was a sixth grader. After years of watching my dad (fellow Central Maine Striders member Brian Morin) through the window as he ran along our street day after day, I was convinced that running was fun and effortless. Finally, I had my chance to try running one weekend morning. I ran about halfway between our house and the end of the road before stopping. Running hurt my lungs and it certainly was not as fun as I thought it would be. Eventually, I built up the endurance to run-walk three-quarters of a mile to our neighbors’ barn where I fed carrots to their goats. The promise of feeding the animals fueled me to keep trying to run, despite the burning lungs. Later on, I accumulated fitness and suddenly running became more fun than I ever imagined. I ran varsity cross-country, indoor track, and outdoor track at Waterville Senior High School.

Though I initially thought I wanted to run on a Division III college team, I ended up attending Dartmouth College and running as part of a club team instead. I have been an active member of DRT (pronounced “dirt”), the Dartmouth Running Team, which is the club team on campus. While serving as a co-captain from March 2019 to March 2020, I helped with planning competition events and organizing team bonding opportunities. During the two springs before the pandemic, I ran in DRT’s annual overnight team relay from Maine to Vermont to raise money for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD). While unable to run with DRT during my remote fall term, I began to attend the socially-distanced Central Maine Striders group on Wednesday nights. I looked forward to that weekly source of social(ly-distanced) running with the Central Maine Striders. Running has been a constant throughout the pandemic and I am grateful to run with my dad once again during this time.

The First Ever Striders Online Trivia Night

1/2/2021

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Central Maine Striders weren't able to have their annual year-end social this year. As a way to foster some kind of social spirit amongst the members of the club, Club President Ryan Goebel hosted an online trivia night after the December 15th Striders monthly meeting. The 25 questions were all running-related, with topics ranging from Striders history to movies about running to songs with running in them. Although some may say that the random algorithm that Zoom used to divide the teams wasn't very fair, the "Running With The Dogs" team (Julie Millard, Ron Peck, Pat Guerette, and Rob Krickus) came out on top of "The Mainiacs" (Alicia Wilcox, Tom & Lynda McGuire, and Drew McCormick) and "Posterior Cross Bite" (Deb Violette, Sapan Bhatt, Shanon Delaney, Brian Morin, and Kate Scott). Although Julie Millard proved to have some impressive Striders historical knowledge, no one could have guessed that it would be Ron Peck's knowledge of the song "Run" by Korean boy band superstars "BTS" that held onto the win on the final question of the night.

Thanks to everyone who participated. We already have plans for a second trivia night coming soon.

Jordan Says Goodbye

12/9/2020

Fellow Striders,

For those of you whom I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Jordan Castillo, and I’ve been so happy to serve as Vice President of this running community for the past year.

Last December, I was just a guy looking for some friends to run with. I heard about the Striders, saw a Facebook post about a monthly meeting coming up, and decided to go. When I showed up, the camaraderie was almost tangible -- I could tell this running community had deep roots and was great at creating opportunities for people to bond over running. And I thought it was so cool how the Striders have been the oldest, active running club in Maine!

I knew I wanted to be involved, and there was an open Vice President position. The Striders at the meeting encouraged me to take the position, and I thought, “Heck, why not!” I definitely knew I was excited to organize social runs and events for the Strider community, so stepping into the VP role felt like a fun (cool-sounding!) way to do that.

So, the reason I’m writing this is because I’m stepping down from my role, and this is like a little goodbye letter because I’m actually moving to Minnesota later this month. A great career opportunity a little closer to family is the main reason for the move. And I’ve gotta tell you, I will miss this community dearly.

I mostly want to take this moment to express my deep gratitude to the Striders, and to each of you beautiful people that have made my past 12 months that much richer. From running my first Millinocket half marathon, to the countless “virtual run” gatherings, to volunteering at the Striders’ first ever 10k race, this community has helped me create so many meaningful memories during my time in Maine.

To end, I want to encourage you all to keep investing in this community. Running may seem like a simple activity, but it has the power to bring some really awesome people together. There’s just something magic that happens when runners gather. We challenge each other, we are excited to see each other grow, and we love sharing stories about our lives as we traverse miles together.

And while we currently have to get a little more creative about the ways we can be “together” in this pandemic, I’ve also found it all the more necessary to stay connected with people who share my deep appreciation for running. Especially now, the world needs joyful people who can inspire others to keep pressing on. This community breeds that joy and inspiration. I can’t wait to see the ways this community continues to grow and positively impact others through the sport of running.

So, Striders, thank you for the opportunity to be part of your story (even just for a year!). And when marathons become a thing again, who knows… maybe I’ll see you out there on the road. ;)

All the best,
Jordan

Jordan, thanks for everything you've given our club. It's been an honor and a pleasure getting to know you. We will miss the excitement and positive energy that you brought to all of our club events. And we hope that you wear your Striders beanie with this much joy in Minnesota too!

Running Backwards to 1990: A Jog Into the Striders Archives

12/7/2020

After a brief hiatus, everyone's favorite jog into the past is back! In this edition of Running Backwards, we're heading back to the year 1990.

As many years do, 1990 started off with a quick summary of 1989. Just think, these guys thought 1989 was a strange year. Obviously, they hadn't experienced 2020 yet! Also, Ron Paquette, Donnajean Pohlman, and Gene Roy got their photo taken with a guy that is almost Chuck Norris.

Throughout the year, there were several mentions of Maine running magazines and newsletters that were ceasing publication. Maine Running and Outing Magazine seemed to be the biggest one to call it quits that year. I'm not sure what's harder to believe: That there were so many publications about Maine running back then or that so many were stopping circulation BEFORE the internet became widely available later that decade.

Although he's no longer a member of the Striders, David McIntyre still pays attention to the Central Maine running scene and recently showed up at our Fall Classic 10k and took some very nice videos of the leading pack.

I'm not sure which publication this "Town Line" was reprinted from, but it's a really nice article about Doc and Mardie Brown. It's too bad that myself and many of our younger members never got a chance to meet them, since they seem like truly amazing people. And personally, I was excited to read that they had a house rabbit. (For those of you that don't know, the current club president has two house rabbits).

We no longer make a list of all of the injuries that our club members have, but apparently they did back in 1990!

Not sure if his Arizona tan or the photocopy quality of this photo, but Rick Stuart is looking like he's straight out of Hollywood in this photo. Oh, and his 1:20:21 time was good for 18th place at the Mount Washington Road Race that year.

1990 was the year that Mardie Brown won a "Youth Award" as Tom McGuire looks on from the background. Also, can you believe that Runners World was "saluting" the Central Maine Striders back then? Yep, the Striders were that awesome back then.

The 1990 Boston Primer 15-Mile Race saw Cranberry Island's most famous resident grab 6th place, while legendary Striders Tom McGuire and Gene Roy came in 24th and 25th.

Talking about legends, Joan Benoit Samuelson showed up multiple times in the 1990 Interval newsletters. Below she is pictures with a couple Striders legends.

In 1990, the Striders issued their first "computer generated" newsletter. We told you the Striders were a big deal back then!

Current members Anne-Marie and Rick Davee were featured in a "Meet Our Members" article in the July-August issue of the Interval in 1990.

The legendary Roy family were featured on the front page of the September 1990 Interval.

Some 1990 "updates" on a few guys that are still members today:

Some things just never change. Tom McGuire was asking for members to help out. Current President Ryan Goebel would like to add, "We still need help. Please let me know if you want to help out with any aspect of the club."

It was nice to see a little write up about some of the Striders ladies in the Interval. Current Strider Linda Benn was amongst a group of them that took a trip to Boston to run in the Tufts 10k.

Gene Roy put together a pretty good group for a winter weekend run. We can't wait for this Covid thing to finish so we can get back to some club group runs!

I told you the club was big back then! For comparison, we currently have 75 memberships (which is up from 60 last year), and we hosted two races (the January Thaw and the Fall Classic 10k). Check out the planned 1991 race calendar below. Wowsers! That's a lot of club races! Also, look how many club members were willing to be race directors (hint, hint... anyone?).

And to end this edition of Running Backwards, here's proof that our membership fees are still a great value. In 1990, a membership cost $12 and stamps were 25 cents. Here in 2020/2021, club membership is $20 and stamps are 55 cents. In case you are rusty on your math, club memberships have risen only 67% in the last 30 years, while stamps have risen by 120%.

That's all for this edition of Running Backwards. Thanks for jogging along all the way to the finish line!

Central Maine Striders Fall Classic 10k Race Reports

10/18/2020

Photos of Joshua Way courtesy of Maine Running Photos

Joshua Way:

The morning of the Central Maine Striders Fall Classic 10k was very cold and windy, I felt like I was freezing waiting for the race to kick off. My intentions were to win in a time around 36 minutes. When everyone was at the start line I was nervous as I didn't know how fast everyone else was, Club President Ryan Goebel kicked the race off with a "Runners set....Go!!" I was off and immediately I was up front with a fellow Strider runner Casey Gallant as we went down Quarry Road and turned onto North Street. I didn't think I could continue the pace I was running, but luckily the wind pushed me right up North street. After we finished the first half ,I pushed the uphills and got rid of Casey. He did a great job during this race. He pushed me very hard the first 5k. Back onto North Street I went, with the wind slowing me down, I was getting very tired. When I got back onto Quarry road for the home stretch, I knew I only had only a mile left. I ran that last mile faster than I thought I could, I was up front in the lead as I came near the finish line. I was pushed on by cheering family's and friends. I sprinted to the finish line in 34:32. I was very pleased as I moved off to the side for fellow runners to come through. I would love to run this race next year!

Kristina Guerette:

As the worldwide pandemic continues to evolve, we do too and continue to roll with whatever comes our way. There have been a lot of changes over the past 7 months, but one thing has not changed for me: the sheer joy of lacing up my sneakers and going for a run. Both my husband (Patrick Guerette) and I are avid runners and have continued to find joy in running, despite races being cancelled. We were both training for big races in April and May, including the Boston Marathon and an Ultra Marathon in Vermont. We didn’t let the cancellations of those races get to us. When Patrick mentioned that the Central Maine Striders were organizing a fall race with a capacity of 40 runners, I knew I had to sign up. This was my chance to see results of all the training I’ve completed in the past year.

It was a cold, breezy morning at the Quarry Road. Foliage was at its peak and runners were happily warming up for the Fall Classic 10k. There was some nostalgia of a high school cross-country race with the crunching of the leaves and the brisk fall air. Race directors, runners and volunteers were masked up and following all COVID-19 safety protocols. Despite all the safety measures, race day did not feel any different than any other race I’ve done. I still had pre-race jitters, I still did my typical warm-up and mingled with other runners and my husband was STILL competitive with me as always. Patrick made a friendly bet with me prior to the race: If he ran faster than me, I would have to cook dinner all week (anyone who knows me is well aware that I am no chef and I never cook!). Fair enough. I knew we would be close. My 10k goal has always been to break 40 minutes but would today be the day?

I started off strong with mile 1 at 6:11 pace. Too fast? Maybe. Leaving the Quarry Road and heading on North Street, finishing the second mile at 6:12 pace. I felt strong and knew I could keep up with the pace. I could hear Patrick trailing behind me through miles 3 and 4. I was in the zone and knew I could finish strong. Patrick crept up on me and passed me going into mile 5, looking strong. He cracked a joke and broke ahead. I just had to keep him in sight if I wanted to break 40 minutes. Turning back onto the Quarry Road for the last 1.5 miles, I could feel my legs starting to cramp and the wind was strong. I could hear the voices in my head saying “How bad do you want this?” Feeling the adrenaline rush in the last 400 meters, I raced to the finish in a time of 39:07. I immediately felt that “runners high.” All the hard work and dedication paid off.

We may be living in strange times but I felt a glimpse of hope in today’s race. It was fun to see other runners in the community come together and do what we love to do. Thank you, Central Maine Striders, for putting together this event! See you next year.

Central Maine Striders Running Gear

10/17/2020

Are you interested in purchasing some Central Maine Striders gear?

We've partnered with Joseph's Sporting Goods in Waterville for some exciting new Striders apparel. They'll have Striders short and long sleeve tech tees, singlets, hoodies, and hats available for ordering. Click here to download the pricing sheet.

To order, you can call Joseph's at (207)660-6676, or stop by their store at 146 Kennedy Memorial Drive in Waterville.

Time to Renew for 2021

10/17/2020

It's getting to be that time of year again. The temperatures are dropping and 2021 is approaching. That also means that it's time to renew your membership for 2021. Also, memberships for anyone who joins now will be valid through December 31, 2021.

Keep in mind that membership benefits include:
- Membership for your entire household
- Being part of the oldest, active running club in Maine
- Subscription to our e-newsletter, The Interval
- Discount on entry to local road races, including the January Thaw 4.5-Mile Road Race, Central Maine Striders Fall Classic 10k, Doc & Mardie 5k, Quarry Road Summer Race Series, and Save Your Breath 5k.
- Discounted or free Central Maine Striders gear
- And more benefits coming soon!

Go to www.centralmainestriders.com/join for more info and the link to join.

Meet Our Members: Deb Violette

10/15/2020

Hi, my name is Deb Violette and I am Board Secretary and member of Central Maine Striders. I am not your typical member as I do not run. You are probably thinking, “How did you become a Board Secretary and Member?” Here is a bit of my story and how I came to Central Maine Strider’s annual social December 2018.
I started a foundation called Free ME from Lung Cancer in 2012 to help researchers find a cure for lung cancer, help Maine high risk patients get access to early lung cancer screening and low income home owners get access to radon air abatement systems. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. In fact the Environmental Protection Agency states that one in every three homes has radon high enough to warrant mitigation.

I started Free ME from Lung Cancer because I am a 22 year lung cancer survivor. I was given a 10% chance of living two years. During my treatment I knew that I wanted to help others diagnosed with this disease. A disease that often leaves the patient isolated, shamed and blamed for their disease because so often it is linked to smoking. Through research we now know that this is not the case at all. If you have lungs you can get lung cancer.

I host two events annually. A themed auction and a "Save Your Breath" 5k. You may have seen my post on the 5k [on the Central Maine Striders facebook group]. In December 2018 I saw a post about Central Maine Strider’s annual social. I asked if anyone could come to the social and I was told yes. So I joined the group that night with the intentions of introduce myself and talk a bit about my foundation, my passion to improve the lives of lung cancer patients and make a donation to the club. The club members was so very gracious to let me post my event on their FaceBook page and never once complained about my obsession in doing so. The group introduced themselves and then allowed me a few minutes to talk.

As the evening unfolded the group began their year end election of officers. They didn’t have a social media/webmaster lined up so I volunteered to take the social media piece for them. I was a social media director for another nonprofit plus my own and thought, “What’s one more FaceBook page to support?” I paid my dues for the upcoming year and returned home. A few days later my phone rings and it was [Club President] Ryan Goebel. Ryan asked if I would mind holding the Secretary’s position. He wasn’t able to find anyone to hold that seat. I said any way that I can help was fine with me and that is how a non runner became a Board Secretary and member for the oldest active running club in the State of Maine.

If you are reading this and not a member yet I encourage you to come to one of our meetings on ZOOM. I have enjoyed serving as Board Secretary these last several months. The members are really fun, creative and friendly. I know you will enjoy the group as much as I have.

If you are interested in learning more about Free ME from Lung Cancer and our upcoming virtual Save Your Breath and virtual online auction please visit us at freemefromlungcancer.org or call me at 207-215-9035. I hope to see you at our next board meeting scheduled for November 10th at 7pm.

Deb Violette, Board Secretary for Central Maine Striders

Be sure to check out our club newsletter for a discount code good for $10 off entry into the Save Your Breath 5k.

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Striders News

CMS Trivia Night #2

Central Maine Striders Gear Available At Joseph's Sporting Goods

Meet Our Members: Cecilia Morin

The First Ever Striders Online Trivia Night

Jordan Says Goodbye

Running Backwards to 1990: A Jog Into the Striders Archives

Central Maine Striders Fall Classic 10k Race Reports

Central Maine Striders Running Gear

Time to Renew for 2021

Meet Our Members: Deb Violette

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