Race Report: A Return to Running and the Millinocket Marathon 2021

by Ryan Goebel

Strider President Ryan Goebel very briefly ahead of three former Millinocket Marathon champions -- Rob Ashby, Sarah Mulcahy, and Ryan Collins. (Photo by "Photography by Mike" -- pbmike.com)

The Millinocket Marathon might not be Maine's fastest or most competitive marathon, but it's probably the most famous. Race director Gary Allen started the race in 2015 as a way to help support a Maine community that has struggled since the closing of its mills. Inspired by the ethos of the Burning Man Festival, Allen came up with the innovative idea to make the marathon free to all runners, but with the tacit agreement that they spend money at the shops, restaurants, and hotels in Millinocket and the surrounding area. The inaugural 2015 race, which was only promoted through Facebook, attracted 6 finishers in the full marathon and 42 in the half marathon. Runner's World wrote an article about the first year's race, and the race has continued to grow and attract runners from around the country since then.

Back in 2015, I wasn't living in Maine and had never heard of Millinocket, but I remember seeing that Runner's World article and being intrigued about running this free marathon in a strange, exotic locale known as Millinocket. Lo and behold, a couple years later I found myself moving to Maine. I signed up for the half marathon that year, because a full marathon in the winter in Maine is just too crazy (right?), but my job at the time had other plans and decided to send me out of state that weekend so I couldn't run it. I ended up running the Santa Hustle Half Marathon in Portland the weekend before instead. Although it was cold, it wasn't Millinocket cold. Also, running in the area around the Maine Mall wasn't near as scenic nor fun as running the Golden Road in Millinocket.

I signed up for the Millinocket Half again in 2018, because a full marathon in the winter in Maine is just too crazy (right???) and I was running the New York City Marathon that November. Well, my overconfidence in how many races I could run in one year eventually caught up with me. About a month before New York, I started feeling some pain in my hip/groin area. I still ran the New York Marathon, but had to pull out of the Millinocket Half.

In 2019, I didn't even sign up for Millinocket because I was still injured.

In 2020, I was still struggling to recover and get back into shape from that injury. Also, there was a pandemic raging across the world with no vaccines, so the Millinocket Marathon and Half was cancelled.

Enter 2021. I was slowly getting back to running on a regular basis again. Covid vaccines had entered the world. Although I had a series of freak non-running injuries over the summer, myself and the world were slowly returning to racing. I ran in a few of the Quarry Road summer races and the Doc & Mardie 5k. I wasn't running fast, but I was running. I signed up for the Mount Desert Island Marathon as my "big comeback goal race", but then it was cancelled in early September due to concerns regarding the strained medical and emergency services in the area. I immediately signed up for the Millinocket Marathon.... the FULL marathon. As previously stated, running a full marathon in northern Maine in December is crazy. However, with my return to racing, I really, really wanted to finish a marathon before the year ended. I no longer cared about how cold it was going to be or how challenging the course was going to be. For the first time when running a marathon, I wasn't going to care so much about what my finish time was going to be, rather just that I finished.

Fast forward to December. I'm still not injured and my training really started clicking in the last month or two before the marathon. I'm ready. I have no idea what my goal marathon pace is, but I'm ready.

While taking advantage of the warming station and bag check at the Elk's Lodge prior to the race, I ran into fellow Strider Rob Krickus who had broken his glasses that morning but was still planning on running the half while semi-blind. I left the Elk's Lodge about 10-15 minutes prior to the marathon start, a luxury that I'd never had in all of the big marathons I'd run previously. Temperatures were only in the teens, but it was sunny and I had plenty of adrenaline pumping through me to keep me warm. On the way to the start line, I saw Ron Peck warming up for the half, had a quick chat with him, and then also saw Julie Millard and Alicia Wilcox getting ready for the half.

Rob Krickus runs up the Golden Road sans glasses. (Photo by Kevin Morris)

Standing at the start line while the national anthem was being sung, the cold (and nerves) started getting to me and I began shivering. Once the cannon went off to signal the start, I ran out with the opening pack trying to warm my body up. My fingers were especially cold and my toes were numb, but I was excited to be back to running a marathon. Relatively quickly, I fell into roughly 12th place. In my mind, I was running a slightly faster pace than I felt like I should be running, but I just wanted my body to warm up. It took close to five miles until I could fully feel my toes.

Normally in a marathon, you don't have to constantly think about where your feet are landing and what the footing is like; however, the Golden Road is effectively frozen dirt and an ice storm went through the area two nights before the marathon. As veteran Strider and Millinocket runner Julie Millard pointed out, "It was the first time I’ve ever raced in Yak Tracks. The conditions on the Golden Road were either the worst I had experienced or it just got inside my head. I was pretty freaked out."

Despite the frozen toes and icier-than-normal road conditions, running up the Golden Road that first time is pretty magical. There's the beautiful view of snow-covered Mount Katahdin and a surprisingly large number of spectators and volunteer water stops along the way.

By the time I got to the turn off the Golden Road just after Mile 6, the magic was starting to wear off. Having already climbed over 500 feet, I was ready for the downhill part of the course. Also, by this point, I was solidly alone in the race. The nearest runners ahead and behind me were at least 30 seconds in either direction. Heading back towards town on Millinocket Road, it was great to be back on pavement, even if there were still a lot of icy patches. However, there were suddenly way less spectators and water stations. It was lonely out there and although this section of the course is "net downhill," there are still significant uphill portions.

Soon before town, I was caught by surprise when the first of the half marathoners passed me (they had started ten minutes after the full marathon start). I didn't try to keep up with him or the next couple half marathoners that passed, but was nice to have someone up ahead that I could see. On one of the hills closest to town, my left calf muscle started tightening up. "Oh no, I'm not even half way," I thought to myself. The calf muscle tightness went away almost as quickly as it had begun, but the thought of it stayed in the back of my mind. I was briefly distracted from those thoughts as I ran down Penobscot Avenue through the center of town. I did my best to soak up the energy of the cheering spectators along the street.

Hearing all of the cheering as I turned the corner to begin the second lap was perhaps the most exciting part of the race. But this excitement was very short lived, as there's a pretty steep hill as the course crosses some railroad tracks and heads back out of town towards the Golden Road. This hill hit me like a brick wall. Suddenly, everything hurt. I was only halfway through the race, and I was started to wonder how I was going to finish. Running back onto the Golden Road, it was obvious that most of the spectators and water stops that were there on the first lap had already packed up and were gone. Even the water stations that were still there felt much less energetic. The course really felt lonely now, and I was having a hard time maintaining my pace. My slowest mile of the race was mile 16, about halfway up the Golden Road on the second lap. It was probably around this time where I started passing half marathoners who were walking the course. Normally, I get annoyed at having to pass walkers on a course, but this time I was just happy to have other people around me.

Lap 2 on the Golden Road. The ice beard cometh. (Photo by Kevin Morris)

As I approached the end of the Golden Road, I passed a full marathoner for the first time since the opening miles. This gave me a huge energy boost and I passed another as we ran under the inflatable archway that the Army National Guard volunteers had set up at the top of the Golden Road. Neither of those guys ever caught back up with me.

Back on pavement, I lost count of how many body parts were hurting. I couldn't wait for the race to be finished, but the only way for it to be finished was to keep running. Passing half marathoners who had obviously taken advantage of the free shots of Fireball along the way provided me with brief moments of needed entertainment. As I passed, one of them said, "Dude! Nice ice beard!" Hadn't this guy ever seen a bearded guy get a frosted beard while running in the winter? Eventually, I'd realize that my "ice beard" wasn't your standard frost beard.

By Mile 25, I just wanted the marathon to be over. This point in a marathon has always been painful, but I've never wanted one to end so badly as I did when I ran down the short, but very steep hill just before Mile 26.

Someone (possibly Martha Nadeau) yelled "Go Striders!" to me a couple blocks before the finish. I gave it everything I had going towards the finish line.

Martha Nadeau and her santa cat pants at the start of the half marathon. She says that her favorite part of the race was when she "was slogging up the back side of the rolling hills, feeling just horrid, when behind [her] comes the first woman marathon runner. First, she compliments [Martha's] (fabulous santa cat) pants and then gives a smile and encouraging words as she cruises by." That's the magic of Millinocket! (Photo by "Photography by Mike" -- pbmike.com)

For me, it was weird crossing the finish line in a smaller marathon like this. There's no giant chute that takes several minutes to emerge from. I crossed the finish line, someone handed me a bottle of water, and I was free. I opened that bottle of water and took a couple of sips as I stumbled around the finish line area. It hurt to walk, but I knew I had to make my way back to the Elk's Lodge to get my bag. As I walked back very slowly, my arm stated hurting from carrying that bottle of water. Truly every part of my body gave everything it could in this race. But I did it. I ran another marathon. It hurt, but felt so good.

My official finish time was 3:12:47, my slowest marathon since my first one in 1999. But, it might be the finish that I'm most proud of. There were times over the last few years when I thought that I may never finish a marathon again. And, especially considering the tough course and conditions, my time was actually pretty good. I finished 9th place overall and achieved a Boston qualifying time for my age. Everything hurt, but it was good.

Upon re-entering the Elk's Lodge, another person made a comment about my ice beard. After sitting down inside, I took out my phone to take a selfie and see what my ice beard looked like before it melted too much. At this point, I realized why my ice beard was getting comments. I had a couple icicles hanging from it that looked like a couple of horns. It was definitely the best looking ice beard that I've ever sported.

I think Strider Martha Nadeau summed up the experience perfectly: "This is the Best Worst race ever. While the course itself is challenging, cold, and depressing; the warmth and excitement from the spectators, aid station, and other runners is absolutely amazing!"

I think it took me close to 3 hours (and an order of French fries, potato chips, cheeseburger, and two Cokes) to get enough energy to make my way out of the Elk's Lodge and onto the shuttle bus back to my hotel.

Ice beard selfie back at the Elk's Lodge.

If you ever decide to run Millinocket (which I recommend that you do), don't forget that there's also the Crankle 2k the night before (where participants are encouraged to run in costume). I couldn't make it this year since I had to attend an online class at the same time, but I've heard from Julie Millard, Martha Nadeau, and others that it's a lot of fun. Also, shopping at the craft fair and all of the businesses in town before and after the race is well worth it.

Millinocket isn't the easiest marathon or half marathon, but it is perhaps the most magical. After all, Millinocket has the nickname of "The Magic City."