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by Mark Fisher
Want to run to the top of the highest peak in the Northeast? Then get ready to sign up for the lottery to participate in the 2025 Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race to be held Saturday, June 14.
Central Maine Striders also has five lottery bypass slots that will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to current club members. But you'll still need to enter February's random lottery first.
Lottery and Bypasses
Interested in running Mount Washington this year? The Mount Washington lottery for Random Selection Registration opens on Monday, February 10, at 8 a.m. and closes on Monday, February 24. Please first sign up for the lottery between February 10 and 24. Race officials will then send out selection/rejection emails on February 27.
Of course, if you get in via the random lottery you won't need a bypass slot—excellent! However, if you find yourself on on the outside looking in, please email me (MarkFisher3340@gmail.com), and if I have a bypass, you can claim it as a club member.
Volunteers Needed
For each Central Maine Striders bypass slot, we also need to supply a volunteer—for a total of five club volunteers. This year our volunteer opportunity will be on Friday, June 13, for "directional and bib pickup" needs. This happens during the open bib pickup times on Friday afternoon and evening. So if you get a bypass, we also will need to supply a volunteer to match.
If you want to volunteer on behalf of the club (untied to any bypass entry) that is most helpful, and please let me know. Thank you!
Our Central Maine Striders team has continually been part of the historic Mount Washington Road Race. This 7.6-mile, all-uphill run draws thousands of runners from around the globe to make the grueling 4,650 vertical feet climb to the summit. This event is possible because of volunteers that so generously give their time to support the silly people that want to do this race!
Thank you so much, and if you have questions, please let me know.
—Mark (MarkFisher3340@gmail.com)
Central Maine Striders also has five lottery bypass slots that will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to current club members. But you'll still need to enter February's random lottery first.
Lottery and Bypasses
Interested in running Mount Washington this year? The Mount Washington lottery for Random Selection Registration opens on Monday, February 10, at 8 a.m. and closes on Monday, February 24. Please first sign up for the lottery between February 10 and 24. Race officials will then send out selection/rejection emails on February 27.
Of course, if you get in via the random lottery you won't need a bypass slot—excellent! However, if you find yourself on on the outside looking in, please email me (MarkFisher3340@gmail.com), and if I have a bypass, you can claim it as a club member.
Volunteers Needed
For each Central Maine Striders bypass slot, we also need to supply a volunteer—for a total of five club volunteers. This year our volunteer opportunity will be on Friday, June 13, for "directional and bib pickup" needs. This happens during the open bib pickup times on Friday afternoon and evening. So if you get a bypass, we also will need to supply a volunteer to match.
If you want to volunteer on behalf of the club (untied to any bypass entry) that is most helpful, and please let me know. Thank you!
Our Central Maine Striders team has continually been part of the historic Mount Washington Road Race. This 7.6-mile, all-uphill run draws thousands of runners from around the globe to make the grueling 4,650 vertical feet climb to the summit. This event is possible because of volunteers that so generously give their time to support the silly people that want to do this race!
Thank you so much, and if you have questions, please let me know.
—Mark (MarkFisher3340@gmail.com)
- 2025 Mount Washingto Road Race Info
- Renew your 2025 Striders membership to be eligible for bypass consideration (first-come, first-served)
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Congratulations to Sapan Bhatt (25:17) and Lindsay Theis (30:17), our top men's and women's finishers at today's January Thaw 4.5-mile road race. (Lindsay is also our new club Vice President!) Thirty-three runners turned out to race in Belgrade in the 46th edition of the annual January Thaw. The race also kicked off the club's 50th anniversary year in 2025.
Thanks to all the racers, volunteers, and spectators who made this event a success, as well as Race Director Ron Peck and Central Maine Striders club president Martha Nadeau for their organization and leadership of this historic race.
Thanks to all the racers, volunteers, and spectators who made this event a success, as well as Race Director Ron Peck and Central Maine Striders club president Martha Nadeau for their organization and leadership of this historic race.
2025 January Thaw 4.5-Mile Road Race Results
January 19, 2025, Belgrade, Maine
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Find all and download any of our 2025 January Thaw race pics at
https://aliciamacleay.smugmug.com/2025-January-Thaw
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Congratulations to the following club members who were recognized by President Martha Nadeau at the December annual meeting for their service, support, and spirit for the club in 2024:
2025 Officers Elected
Attendees also elected new and returning officers for 2025 at the December annual meeting and jingle bell run:
- Strider of the Year: Ian Hepburn
- President’s Award: Kate Scott for serving as Vice President
- President’s Award: Amy Stabins for serving as Secretary
- Spirit Award: Alex Casey (not pictured)
- Spirit Award: Tom Farmer (not pictured)
2025 Officers Elected
Attendees also elected new and returning officers for 2025 at the December annual meeting and jingle bell run:
- President: Martha Nadeau
- Vice President: Lindsay Theis
- Secretary: Alex Casey
- Treasurer: Ron Peck
- Communications Coordinator: Alicia MacLeay
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The Marsh Island Trail Runners 2024 Frost Fixed Time Race
by Ian Hepburn
This past October a few Striders and I participated in a unique and complex race that the Marsh Island Trail Runners (MITR) have put together. The event was the Frost Fixed-Time Footrace, a six-hour race held west of Orono on trails in the vicinity of the Caribou Bog Outdoor Center. The concept of the race is that individual runners or teams compete for points based on running on one of two available three-mile loops. One loop is relatively flat and consists of wide, well-maintained grass and dirt trails. The other loop is on rougher single-track trails and has more changes in elevation. Runners/teams receive 0.75 points for completing the easier loop (called the Red Route), and 1 point for completing the more challenging loop (called the Blue Route). Participants try to earn as many points as possible within the six hours allotted for the race by running as many loops as they can.
The challenge is in determining how to get the most points. Should racers run the easier, faster route that is worth less points, or should they sacrifice time on the more challenging route that is worth more points? That was the decision that faced the Central Maine Striders team consisting of myself, Alex Casey, Lindsey Madison, and Ron Peck at this year’s Frost race.
Before I describe the experience, I will provide a little background about the event. This is the second year that MITR has held the Frost Fixed-Time Race. It was held in the same area as last year’s race, but had a different Red Route (the Blue Route remained the same this year). Race Director Brian Olsen also adjusted the scoring for this year, as last year the Red Route was worth 0.5 points, and the Blue Route was worth 1 point. The loops begin and end at the Caribou Bog Outdoor Center, where there is space for participants to park and to establish a base camp.
by Ian Hepburn
This past October a few Striders and I participated in a unique and complex race that the Marsh Island Trail Runners (MITR) have put together. The event was the Frost Fixed-Time Footrace, a six-hour race held west of Orono on trails in the vicinity of the Caribou Bog Outdoor Center. The concept of the race is that individual runners or teams compete for points based on running on one of two available three-mile loops. One loop is relatively flat and consists of wide, well-maintained grass and dirt trails. The other loop is on rougher single-track trails and has more changes in elevation. Runners/teams receive 0.75 points for completing the easier loop (called the Red Route), and 1 point for completing the more challenging loop (called the Blue Route). Participants try to earn as many points as possible within the six hours allotted for the race by running as many loops as they can.
The challenge is in determining how to get the most points. Should racers run the easier, faster route that is worth less points, or should they sacrifice time on the more challenging route that is worth more points? That was the decision that faced the Central Maine Striders team consisting of myself, Alex Casey, Lindsey Madison, and Ron Peck at this year’s Frost race.
Before I describe the experience, I will provide a little background about the event. This is the second year that MITR has held the Frost Fixed-Time Race. It was held in the same area as last year’s race, but had a different Red Route (the Blue Route remained the same this year). Race Director Brian Olsen also adjusted the scoring for this year, as last year the Red Route was worth 0.5 points, and the Blue Route was worth 1 point. The loops begin and end at the Caribou Bog Outdoor Center, where there is space for participants to park and to establish a base camp.
2 Kool 4 Skool’s base camp
The base camp is an important aspect of this race whether you are running as an individual or as a team. If you plan on running for the entire six hours, then hydration, nutrition, first aid, clean clothes, warm layers, and lighting are all considerations. Personal lighting was crucial, as the six-hour clock began its countdown at 2 p.m., which placed the finish at 8 p.m., with sunset at 5:41p.m. on the race date. Headlamps were required at a minimum, with additional lighting and reflective clothing strongly encouraged.
Trail marking was also very important, not just to differentiate between the two race loops, but to ensure that racers were following the correct trail. There are a lot of intersecting trails in the Caribou Bog area, and it was easy to get confused. Fortunately, race director Brian had access to miles of engineer tape, which he used liberally across both loops. The engineer tape was color coded, so racers could follow the correct path to the halfway point of each loop. At the halfway point there was a five-gallon bucket containing color-coded "markers" that runners would collect and carry to the finish to verify that they completed the loop. Once runners passed the marker bucket, the color of the engineer tape marking the trail changed, so that if the runner missed the bucket they would have a visible indication that they passed it. I thought this was a pretty clever way to ensure that runners understood where they were on the course, and it helped reduce the need for a volunteer to station themselves by the bucket to make sure racers collected their markers.
Racers would return to the start with their markers, and the race personnel would record their mileage (which was pretty easy, as each lap is 3 miles) and their points. One racer from each team would run at a time, so their teammates would have some down time. Individual runners had the option to take a break between laps or to continue running.
Trail marking was also very important, not just to differentiate between the two race loops, but to ensure that racers were following the correct trail. There are a lot of intersecting trails in the Caribou Bog area, and it was easy to get confused. Fortunately, race director Brian had access to miles of engineer tape, which he used liberally across both loops. The engineer tape was color coded, so racers could follow the correct path to the halfway point of each loop. At the halfway point there was a five-gallon bucket containing color-coded "markers" that runners would collect and carry to the finish to verify that they completed the loop. Once runners passed the marker bucket, the color of the engineer tape marking the trail changed, so that if the runner missed the bucket they would have a visible indication that they passed it. I thought this was a pretty clever way to ensure that runners understood where they were on the course, and it helped reduce the need for a volunteer to station themselves by the bucket to make sure racers collected their markers.
Racers would return to the start with their markers, and the race personnel would record their mileage (which was pretty easy, as each lap is 3 miles) and their points. One racer from each team would run at a time, so their teammates would have some down time. Individual runners had the option to take a break between laps or to continue running.
The race staff kept a running tally of laps and points. Golden Retriever added for scale.
The race began at 2 p.m., and Ron was the first runner for our team (2 Kool 4 Skool), followed by Alex, myself, and Lindsey. Alex had this to say about the race:
“I ran second after Ron started us off with an easy (for him) 19:00 3-mile leg on the red course. I decided to take the road less traveled and scout out the harder blue trail. I didn’t know what to expect, but I attacked the trail with a bit more ambition than I should have. With winding turns through heavy forest, rocks and roots covered with leaves I had a hard time staying certain that I wasn’t completely off trail. At a point where the trail finally seemed to open up on a nice downhill, I smashed my foot into a rock and tumbled forward. I managed to finish my leg and two red loops after this, but the first three toes on my right foot were black and purple for weeks after this. Ron, Lindsey, and Ian put forth a tremendous effort for the rest of the race to secure a third place finish for our team. I can’t wait to run this awesome race again and revisit that blue course. We all had an absolute blast and hope to have a larger Central Maine Striders group running in 2025!”
“I ran second after Ron started us off with an easy (for him) 19:00 3-mile leg on the red course. I decided to take the road less traveled and scout out the harder blue trail. I didn’t know what to expect, but I attacked the trail with a bit more ambition than I should have. With winding turns through heavy forest, rocks and roots covered with leaves I had a hard time staying certain that I wasn’t completely off trail. At a point where the trail finally seemed to open up on a nice downhill, I smashed my foot into a rock and tumbled forward. I managed to finish my leg and two red loops after this, but the first three toes on my right foot were black and purple for weeks after this. Ron, Lindsey, and Ian put forth a tremendous effort for the rest of the race to secure a third place finish for our team. I can’t wait to run this awesome race again and revisit that blue course. We all had an absolute blast and hope to have a larger Central Maine Striders group running in 2025!”
I didn’t have a race strategy; I just put my head down and tried to grind out laps. I ran my first lap around 2:50 p.m., so there was plenty of light for me to try out the more technical blue course, which I needed because it was very twisty and rough. I tried to keep an eye out for course markers while also keeping an eye on the footing, which was treacherous in places due to the root- and stone-covered trails, which also had a fresh coat of leaves on top to help hide tripping hazards. I opted to run the red route for my next two laps, especially since the last one was at 6:40 p.m. and it was completely dark on the trail.
Ron, Lindsey, Alex, and Ian
In the end, 2 Kool 4 Skool came in third. We had the same number of laps as the first and second place teams (13 laps), but the teams ahead of us had more points. The winning team, 2 Fast 2 Fatherly, ran only on the blue route, maximizing their points. The prizes were cookies from a local bakery (sorry, local bakery, I forgot the name of your business), and the camaraderie built among teammates who took part in a unique physical and mental challenge. I recommend the Frost Fixed-Time Race, and I think it would be great if Central Maine Striders could field multiple teams next year.
