We are sad to announce that a former member of the Central Maine Striders and inductee to the Maine Running Hall of Fame, Leona Clapper passed away earlier this summer.

From her obituary in the Bangor Daily News (Jul 5, 2020):

Leona E. Clapper
March 11, 1930 - June 28, 2020

BUCKSPORT - Leona E. Clapper, 90, passed away peacefully on June 28, 2020, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on March 11, 1930 in North Haven, Maine, to Clarence and Lena Stone. She spent most of her adult life in Bucksport, where she raised her twelve children with her husband of 67 years, Charles. She had a strong love for her family and friends. She was always smiling and ready to give a hug to all.

Leona was a competitive runner in the local community for many years. She completed a number of marathons. She was well known and admired among runners. In 1992, she was inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame.

Besides running, Leona also loved playing bridge and knitting. She and her husband frequently played in bridge groups. She knit numerous items for family and friends, and also donated many to her church's craft fair. She was a long time parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Bucksport.

In addition to her parents, Leona was predeceased by her sister Harriet Pendleton and her husband Danny Pendleton, by her sister Eleanor Jackson, by her daughter Barbara Thompson, and by her sons-in-law Richard Stevens, Richard Leach, and Richard Schroeder.

Leona is survived by her husband Charles, her sister Marjorie Pendleton and her husband James Pendleton, her brother-in-law Paul Jackson, her son Charles and his wife Alta, her daughter Leona Stevens, her daughter Catherine Leach, her daughter Theresa Clapper, her son Thomas Clapper, her son-in-law Thomas Thompson, her son Gerard Clapper and his wife Caskie, her son Joseph Clapper and his wife Renee, her daughter Margaret Jones and her husband Christopher, her daughter Mary Buck and her husband Bryan, her daughter Patricia Craig and her husband John, and her son Michael Clapper and his wife Regina. She is also survived by dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

There will be a private service for family only later in the summer.

There will be a celebration of life for family and friends at a later date.

Arrangements by Mitchell-Tweedie Funeral Home and cremation Services Bucksport.

Race Director Patrick Guerette gave us this update about the Doc & Mardie 5k scheduled for August:

Over 20 years ago I ran the Palermo Days 5k, I vaguely recall the course, I have no idea my time, but I have a pretty vivid memory of watching an 80 year old lady finish the race, and being completely blown away by her effort. I know I had run other races with Mardie Brown, but for some reason this is the race that sticks out in my mind. 

As a teenager, I know I didn't fully grasp how amazing Mardie or her husband Donald "Doc" Brown were, but after directing the Doc & Mardie 5k for the past 8 years, and listening to other Central Maine Striders share their affections and stories, it's hard not to amazed. It wasn't until after moving back to Waterville in 2012 that I learned Mardie was not only a runner, but more impressively, an age group record holder in Master's Swimming and that Doc was a tennis & racquetball player into his 90's, when injuries slowed him down to just working out several times a week. 

Now, as Race Director for the Doc & Mardie 5k its been my pleasure to honor the memory of Doc & Mardie, share their story, and hopefully inspire others to get & stay active at any age. I hope you will join me at the Alfond Youth & Community Center on Saturday, August 22nd for the 15th Annual Doc & Mardie 5k. We are currently working on a plan that would allow us to hold a live race with appropriate social distancing measures. For more information, please visit https://docmardie5k.weebly.com/.

​I believe the last time I wrote in the Club newsletter was in 2013 after running in the Boston Marathon.  That was the race where the terrible bombing happened at the finish line.  I had reached the 25 1/2 mile mark with less than a mile to go when the throngs of runners were stopped in their tracks and could not complete the race.  It was a heartbreaking moment for me and I’m sure for thousands of other runners to not complete something we had aspired to and trained for, for months and even years.
   
However, I found a way I could mend the brokenness I felt over what happened.  In the spring of 2014, my son Adam, who was flying home to Maine from Seattle where he lives, met me in Boston and together we ran the last mile of the marathon.  It wasn’t quite the same as it would have been on race day – we had to dodge people on the sidewalks – but it did heal my heart somewhat and brought some closure to an event that started out so joyfully and ended so tragically.
 
As a longtime member of the Central Maine Striders (it was the Maine Road Ramblers back in the 70’s), I was asked to provide an update on my running life now.  Unfortunately I had to stop running in 2016 due to arthritis in my second toe.  With bone on bone, it caused quite a bit of pain.  I believe the injury was caused by dropping a can on my toe years ago or by a horse that stepped on my foot a long time ago.  Surely running wouldn’t have caused it!  My second toe was the only joint affected.  In 2017, I had an implant inserted into the toe joint which helped decrease the pain but not enough for me to feel safe stressing it by running.  I miss running very much.  It was part of my life for 45 years, and wasn’t something I ever thought I would stop doing.  In the beginning after the surgery, whenever I saw a runner on the road, I’d feel a stabbing sensation in my heart because I wanted to be that runner in the worst way.
 
It’s been 3 years since the surgery, and I can look back on the years and races with happiness and pride.  I had run in countless races and completed 9 marathons, including 6 miles of the Boston Marathon while 8 months pregnant in 1984.  The Club was a source of unity for runners like me.  The joy of running united all of us, and because of that, we were all friends.
 
I have found other ways to exercise that are just as satisfying (well almost) as running – walking, bicycling, and backpacking.  I am a section-hiker of the Appalachian Trail and have back-packed from Georgia to Vermont – over 1,600 miles – over 15 years.  My husband and I have about 600 miles to go over some of the toughest sections of the entire Trail.  I consider it an adventure of a lifetime which will take the rest of my lifetime to complete.
 
I look forward to reading the stories of other Club members, especially the friends I had back in the early days.
 
Joanie Rhoda 

Announcement for the 2013 January Thaw :

In early March of 2013, there was a Striders meeting and some of the items discussed included:
- "A new CMS slogan.  "we share the roads" doesn't accurately reflect the makeup of runners in Central maine, because we share everything. [As far as I know, the slogan was just dropped and not replaced]
- Bringing back some CMS singlets and t-shirts for members.
- Developing a Central Maine Striders website.  Key components being a race & events calendar as well as a way to join the Striders (printable or online reg). -- Harold Shaw
- Add any upcoming races to the Facebook Page under events, great way to promote your race 
​- Lastly, an outline of Patrick's plans for the summer race series to be held at the Quarry Rd:

And by the end of the year, the new officers for the club were made official:

And here are the full results from the first ever Quarry Road Summer Race Series, as published in various issues of The Interval that year:

In case you haven't heard, the Quarry Road Summer Race Series is happening again this year, albeit in a slightly different format due to the unique nature of the pandemic world we're living in right now.  Just in case you didn't know about it yet or if you just want to get more information, Patrick Guerette (the founder of the event) sent along this message: 

COVID-19 has really crushed the local racing scene this summer, which is one reason why I am thrilled that we were able to land on a racing format that provides an option for runners to compete. Not only are the courses just as challenging, time trials also add a unique mental test to the race, as it's much easier to push yourself when you are trying to close the gap on another runner, or running scared. Simply put, if you are able to push yourself on a solo effort, it will make you a stronger runner & racer in the future. 

With nearly 60 runners signed up to run this summer, and over 40 finishers in each of the first 2 weeks we have exceeded our original expectations for the series this summer. With that said, if you are not signed up for the series yet, it's not too late, there are still options to register for 1, 3 or all 9 (6 remaining) races by clicking here. 

After the first 2 weeks, it looks like there will be quite a few closely contested age group battles, which adds a bit of excitement to the race series, if you want to keep up on the results, we invite you to view our race results and standings online here.

See you on the trails!

-Patrick Guerette

Bonus Question:  Do you know what year Patrick organized the first Quarry Road Race Series?
Bonus Information:  As a paying member of the Central Maine Striders, you'll automatically get 10% off your registration for the Quarry Road Race Series.

"Meet Our Members" is where we get to know a little more about our fellow Striders -- who they are, why they run, and why they're part of the Central Maine Striders.
​
Alicia Wilcox is a mother of 13-year-old twins and an associate professor at Thomas College.  She teaches forensic science and criminal justice classes.  She also has a forensic consulting company and likes to garden, travel, and hike.  

"I started running in the summer of 2014 at age 36. I was in the middle of my PhD program and expressed my feelings of stress to a friend. She was training with another woman for the Maine 1/2 marathon. They intended running a long run of 8 miles that weekend. I said I would join them for two or three miles. I ended up running the 8 miles with them and felt great. A few weeks later I applied for a cancellation spot in the 1/2 marathon and got in. I completed that 1/2 in under 2 hours with very little training.

I was hooked and running helped me through the stress of my PhD. I have since completed 16 half marathons, my most recent was the Shipyard Maine Coast Half, which was virtual, meaning, I ran by myself!

The women I used to run with don't run anymore. So this year I decided to join the Central Maine Striders to make new running friends. I participated in the January Thaw and ran with a small group one Sunday morning before the pandemic struck. I look forward to meeting new striders in the future. At the moment I am running the quarry road series and a 312K series Baxter to Baxter (from the state park to Baxter Brewing, in Lewiston). 

I love the simplicity of running, all you need is a good pair of sneakers and some happy music."

Alicia, we're glad you're a Strider and hope to see you and get to know you at more Strider events in the future, whenever we're able to hold in-person events again.

Either the archives are missing the January and February 1983 issues, or no Interval was made in those months.  There was an invitation for the Striders annual banquet that was sent out in January, but that seems to barely count as an issue of The Interval (the greatest central Maine-based running newsletter over the last 40 years or so).

However, the March issue featured a major Striders announcment -- the club entered the COMPUTER AGE!

Back in 1983, the Striders' annual banquet seemed like a pretty impressive affair.  63 people attended!  The newly elected board of officers included Dean Rasmussen, Gene Roy, and Geoff Hill (all of whom are still active members to this day).  Current member Sarah Roy won an award for Most Improved Strider.  The 1983 club even had a New Balance representative speak at the banquet!  And they ended the banquet with a showing of a movie about the 1981 Hawaii IronMan Triathlon (remember, this was long before Netflix or even DVDs existed).  Sounds like it was a pretty exciting night.

The January Thaw Road Race was postponed that year due to bad weather.  Geez... that never happens in Maine in January.  Oh wait, (...checks January Thaw archives...) it happened this year and last year.  

I usually don't include old finance information in these flashbacks, but the balance of $96.53 from February 2, 1983 has to be the lowest that I have ever seen the club's balance get, and I'm guessing that all of the current and former club Treasurers would agree. 

The April 1983 newsletter included coverage of that year's Killarney's 10k, which saw a new course records set for both the men and the women.  Current member Rick Stuart ran sub-35 minutes.

It turns out that Fred Judkins wasn't using just any computer for the new Striders member database.  He was using an all-caps APPLE computer.  Fancy stuff.  [As a side note, I think I got my first computer, an Apple IIe, around that same time]

It seems that the city of Auburn tried to pass an anti-joggers and skiers law.  No word on how a law against joggers and skiers would affect runners.  Also, how often were people skiing down the side of the road an actual problem?  I know this is Maine and all, but..... really?  

In the May 1983 Interval, the newsletter editor announced that they were going to start profiling one member each month, selected at random.  [The 2020 newsletter editor is thinking about implementing this "random" method to choosing members to profile in the "Meet Our Members" section.] 

They were also looking for articles from members [Another note from the 2020 editor:  Time may have moved forward by 37 years, but we're still looking for article from members.  If anyone would like to help out by writing an article for our newsletter and webpage, send an email to run@centralmainestriders.com.] ​

Gene Roy was looking for Striders to join him for a Mount Washington road race team.  This was the year that Ron Paquette and Dean Rasmussen succumbed to Gene's pleas to get a Striders team for this uphill race.  Apparently,  they've been addicted to that hill since that year, considering that they've ran it every year from then until now.  As you all know, the race has been cancelled this year due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.  Let's hope these two fine gentlemen get a chance to continue their streak next year.

It's hard to believe that a couple Striders in 1983 ran the London Marathon, but that's exactly what Susan Adams and Linda Snow did.  This was only the third year that the London Marathon was run.  Unfortunately, these two women are no longer members of our club, but I'd love to hear where they are now and if they're still running.

In other "international" news, there were some Striders preparing for the Boston Marathon.  Rick Stuart was gunning for a sub-2:30 marathon and Geoff Hill was aiming to be a bandit.

Rick Stuart primed his way to the Boston Marathon by capturing 7th place in the Readfield Boston Primer 15-miler.  That must have been quite the field if Rick only got 7th. 

The Striders fielded a stellar team for the Great Downeast Maine Half Marathon back in 1983.  The team featured long-time Strider all-stars Gene Roy, Geoff Hill, Ron Paquette, Sarah Roy, and Donnjean Pohlman.  Not to be outdone, Rick Stuart finished 5th in the marathon that day with a nice sub-3-hour time.  Wait... I thought Rick was preparing for Boston.  [Editor's Note:  He was.]

In the "New Members" section of the May 1983 newsletter, none other than current member Gust Stringos was introduced.  Gust did run the Maine Coast Marathon that year, and still enjoys beekeeping and gardening.

By June of 1983, it seems that Fred Judkins was getting into his APPLE computer.  Based on the amazing font seen below, it looks like he started using the computer for typing newsletters, besides just keeping a member database.  Also, it seems like this issue marked the point in time where the club found a way to print/copy on both sides of a piece of paper.
​
Oh, and you gotta love the very dated title "Data Processor".

That same issue featured a profile on longtime member Jim Moore.  37 years since this article was written and Jim is still probably one of the most consistent runners in CMS.  Jim, I think you've made your goal of continuing running through the age of 65 and we're extremely thankful to have been with you the whole way!  Also, has anyone else out there commuted to work in Augusta by running the 21 miles?  Now, that's dedication!

It looks like Rick Stuart didn't make his sub-2:30 goal at Boston, but 2:37 ain't too shabby!

Speaking of not shabby, Gene Roy ran a 22:13 at a 4-mile race in Portland.

While Gene was running his 4 miles in Portland, it looks like a large chunk of the Striders membership was running a 10k in China.  Current members Geoff Hill, Jim Moore, and Donnajean Pohlman were listed in the results.

As the club's data processing and computerizing skills advanced, they started printing newsletters on colored paper.  The colored paper trend in the newsletter continued until 1993 or so. 

The June 1983 issue also included a list of all the current members, along with their addresses and phone numbers.  We cut off the contact info here, but are showing you the members' names.  We're very thankful for all the names that are on this 1983 list AND still on our 2020 member list.

There were some familiar names amongst two back-to-back Saturday 10k's in May of 1983.

At the Emden 10k, Rick Stuart came in second with a nice 5:36 pace.  Dean Rasmussen, Donnajean Pohlman, Ron Paquette, and Gene Roy also placed in the top 10.  No offense to Gene, but were there only 10 runners in this 10k?  The Striders held 8 of the top 10 places, and there was 14 minutes between first and tenth place.

The next weekend, there was a bigger turnout of not just Striders, but of runners period.  Our current club clerk, Alton Stevens, finished with an impressive 33:44 time.  Gene Roy avenged his last(?) place finish from the previous week by cutting nearly 13 minutes off his time.  We'll give Gene the benefit of the doubt and assume the Emden 10k was just a training run for the Boothbay 10k.  It's too bad, though, that his place dropped from 10th to 31st.  Numbers, places, and running can be strange like that sometimes.  Geoff Hill, Jim Moore, and Sarah Roy were also part of the large CMS contingent at the race.

Susan Adams finished the London Marathon in a time of 4:19.  No word on how Linda Snow fared.  She's also not included on the list of members from the June Interval.  Hmmmm...  conspiracy theorists could probably come up with a great explanation for this.

Gust Stringos, introduced to the club back in the May 1983 newsletter and still a club member, finished the Maine Coast Marathon in 3:04:55.  Jerry Allanach, another longtime Strider and current Chicago-area resident, came in at 3:18:06.

In the August issue that year, it was announced that the Striders would be hosting the 1st ever Sugarloaf Marathon.  Of course, along with that honor came responsibility, so they were asking for volunteers.

Results from the first year of "The One-Hill Streak" for Dean Rasmussen and Ron Paquette were also in that August issue.  Gene Roy and some other guys were also on the team, but had streaks that ended much earlier than 37 years.

So, you may be asking yourself, "who is this Dean guy?"  Well, here's how he was profiled in that August 1983 Interval.  Dean, thanks for continuing to be a Strider for all of these years!

Rick Stuart ran a high-altitude 10k out in New Mexico that year.  Unfortunately, the Interval and/or the computer skills of the club weren't advanced enough to include pictures in the newsletter, so we'll never know whether the mentioned picture was a "real" road runner or if it was Rick.

In the President's Comments of the October 1983 Interval, Dean Rasmussen thanked all of the members that volunteered for the first Sugarloaf Marathon.  We all know that volunteers are probably the most critical component of a successful race.

That issue also included race results for several CMS members, including Donnajean Pohlman's sub-4-hour marathon in San Francisco.

Gust Stringos seems to have had a good showing at the Twilight 5-miler with pace just under 6-minutes-per-mile.  Ron Paquette and Donnajean Pohlman were also amongst the large group of Striders that ran the race in Skowhegan.

Those same three current Striders ran another race in Skowhegan that month and were joined by Sarah Roy and several other members.

The only current Strider to be listed in the results for that first Sugarloaf Marathon was Dean Rasmussen.  He grabbed 14th place overall with a nice sub-3-hour finish.  However, the date in these results was listed as 1982, even though the first Sugarloaf Marathon was held in 1983.  Hmmmm..... do we have another conspiracy theory here, or was it just an innocent typo on an old APPLE computer?

A month later in Kingsfield, a giant group of Striders showed up for the Kingfield 10k.  Alton Stevens, Geoff Hill, Dean Rasmussen, Jim Moore, Donnajean Pohlman, Ron Paquette, Sarah Roy, and Gene Roy were all there.  Ron and Donnajean beat Gene and Sarah by about 20 seconds for the title of "top Striders couple".

The Kingfield and Sugarloaf area continued to be a popular area for Striders to race in that fall, with another big group running the Sugarloaf Uphill race.  Gene Roy grabbed 6th place overall with a finish time of an even 32 minutes.  Usual suspects Geoff Hill, Dean Rasmussen, Ron Paquette, and Jim Moore also finished the uphill race.

In October 1983, Geoff Hill ran the Casco Bay Marathon with a nice time of 3:12:32.

And in November 1983, CMS member Chris Bovie tied a course record at the Veterans Day 5k with a time of 16:04!  Geoff Hill came in 6th with a time of 18-minutes flat.  Gene Roy and Jim Moore opted for the half marathon that day and finished with times of 1:24:40 and 1:33:17, respectively. 

​Did you manage to reach that Boston qualifying goal?
I have not been able to hit that BQ objective - YET!  Although my PB at the half is pretty decent for my age at 1 hr 41 min, I've had a hard time translating that to the marathon distance.  I've always seemed to show up at the starting line completely ready to go.  However, I struggle to hold back on first half of the distance.  As a consequence, I tend to hit that wall pretty hard.  During the Maine Marathon in October, my mile splits were all sub-9 minutes, and even a couple of sub-8, through mile 20.  The last 6 were barely sub-12!!  Clearly, I need to find more patience for the first half!

Was there anyone who inspired you to start running (a friend, a family members, or a professional athlete)?  I've never really thought about that, but I guess my favorite uncle first piqued my interest in running, when I saw him compete in a marathon in Austin, TX, way back in the late 70's.  But that was just one of many crazy and adventurous things he's done in his life.  I suppose I kinda follow in that same frame of mind.  There are definitely a ton of other people that have inspired me along the way.  Stories of real people doing really incredible stuff... running-related or not, surviving against insurmountable odds, or overcoming an impossible obstacle... give me strength and determination to push forward, even when I don't want to.  I also try remember to be grateful for everything I have - that there are countless humans who suffer, but are still genuinely thankful for the very little blessings they do have - those people inspire me more than any.

Of the three marathons you ran in 2019, which was your favorite and why?
Of the three marathons I ran in 2019, each offered something very special for me, and all were definite favorites for very different reasons.  Sugarloaf was special because it was my first and it was an absolute blast.  The support from the organizers, to the participants, to the wacky crowds was super cool, and made the event a ton of fun.  What wasn't fun was the cold, rainy weather!  The Maine Marathon was epic for the dedicated supporters on the sidelines - the live bands, the hilarious signs, folks cheering you on by name - awesome.  Pretty nice scenery too.  Millinocket....what can I say about Millinocket?  It is beyond words really.  In my mind, that event is all about giving back and helping that little town come alive.  It's less about running.  However!  The run is definitely part of the incredible experience, from Fireball shot stations, delicious soup, hot Gatorade, and so much more makes for a memorable experience with a huge desire to do it again.  I should mention I learned that the speedy shoes can be left at home.  This event is more like a slow, long run than a PR opportunity.  Of the three marathons, if I could only choose one to run again, for now it would have to be Sugarloaf - just to prove to myself that I can beat the 4-hour mark!!!  With assistance from gravity of course!

How did you find out about the Central Maine Striders and why did you join us?  I first stumbled across Central Maine Striders on Facebook I think, and then again on Strava.  Years ago, in Providence RI, I belonged to a corporate running group, as well as a local running club.  I remember the camaraderie, support and energy that we all benefited from, just by training and participating in events.  It was a big sense of community, and actually pushed me to train harder and more consistently that I probably would've otherwise done on my own.  I decided to join Central Maine Striders one, because the group is relatively close to where I live, and two, because I want to be more active in the running community in general.  I find running can be a pretty lonely endeavor - which isn't always bad and often times the one place where I can find peace in an otherwise chaotic world - but I miss sharing the joy of running with others.  Non-runners just don't get it, do they?  Lol.

What do you do when you're not running?
When I'm not running, I keep myself occupied with work and outdoor stuff.  Backpacking in the back-country with my family is my all-time favorite recreational activity.  Life is meant to be lived to the fullest with as many rich experiences as possible, in my opinion.  Work is just a means to an end.  Thankfully, my employer, Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union, gives me plenty of opportunity to do the things I enjoy the most.

by Harold Shaw

Let’s think for a minute - for the year 2020 we all probably had goal races, big plans and were going to accomplish many of them. 

Basically, my goals in 2020 were to race more than I have in a long time, well as long as the old body held up to the demands of training for an October 18th super-secret race. Unfortunately, like most of you, back in March I put all those great plans, goals, or whatever you want to call them...well to be blunt I and most other runners I know threw most everything out the window when....

The Coronavirus pandemic happened.

Which largely ended many of our plans for spring racing and restarting of Strider group runs (thank you Sapan, Jordan, & Julie), where members were beginning to enjoy the camaraderie of being around our friends or meeting new friends through running again. ​