16th Tour de Lac

A challenge, a scenic course, and tradition will attract an estimated field of 100 competitors when the 16th Tour du Lac 10-mile road race is held Saturday in Bucksport at 8:30 a.m.

The race, which started as a 10-mile cycling event in 1976, attracted a field of 98 last year, and is the third race in the Bangor Daily News Charities Running Series.

“It’s a challenging course for people who want to test themselves,” said Joan Merriam, who directs the event with her husband, Fred Merriam.

“We get the real vets each year. Last year, half of the field was over 40 years old,” she added.

The race starts and finishes at Bucksport High School, while the course loops around scenic Silver Lake.

“There’s lots of uphill stretches and equally challenging downhill stretches. Any steep downhill after five miles can be as difficult as an uphill. Not too many personal records are set,” Merriam said.

The race, which is sponsored by the Central Maine Striders running club, is described a “low-key event” by Merriam. There is only a $5 entry fee with no preregistration. Race-day registration starts at 7:15 a.m.

Anne Norton, who was teaching French at Bucksport High in ’76, started the Tour du Lac because many of her students were interested in the historic Tour du France cycling race.

“Ten-speed bikes were kind of the in-thing back then,” Norton said.

Two bike races were held, but Anne Norton and her husband, Steve, changed the event to a road race along with the running boom that was taking place at that time. Both were more interested in running, Norton explained, as she had become Bucksport’s cross country and track coach.

“At the time, except for the Bunyan Marathon, (the Tour du Lac) was the longest race in the area,” Norton said. “It’s been one of the most consistent races around ever since.”

The Nortons directed the race until 1986 when it came under the Striders’ umbrella, under the direction of Bucksport members Joan and Fred Merriam.

Steve Fluet of Portland was last year’s men’s winner with a time of 56 minutes, 39 seconds, while Julia Kirtland of Orono was the women’s winner with a 1:02.33 clocking.

Gerry Clapper, a Bucksport native and former University of Maine running standout, set the men’s course record with a 50:48 time in ’86. Deb Potter of Nobleboro set the women’s mark in ’89 with a 1:01.33 clocking.

Bob Everett, Aroostook County’s top runner, was considering competing in more races in the Greater Bangor area, but has been slowed by a sore left foot.

Everett was in Orono on June 15 when he won the Orono Burger King Classic with a 28:35 time over the 5 1/2-mile course. However, he said his foot was sore then and has not improved.

“I’m going to have to take a couple of weeks off. I think I may have gotten a stress fracture by doing too much speed work around the track,” Everett said.

Everett, who was a strong contender to win the Bangor-Brewer 3K on July 4th, said he doesn’t think he will be competing in the road race.