Dogs to help owners set pace during 8th Pet Run 5K event

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Steve Tuckerman will tell you that some days, running can make you dog tired. In fact, on Sunday, it’ll likely make both of his dogs – standard poodles Sasha and Mitchell, that is – tired.

That’s because he’ll be toeing the starting line at the Pet Run 5K in Old Town, where runners are encouraged to jog (and pant and drool) along with their pet.

“We were looking for a way to raise money for [The Animal Orphanage], and someone suggested for us to hold a road race,” race director Roberta Fowler explained.

That was eight years ago. And since then, runners (four-legged as well as two-legged) have embraced the quirky race.

The race begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Old Town YMCA. The entry fee is $9 for individuals, but a bargain $5 fee will be collected from families of three (humans) or more. All pets are welcome, but must be leashed.

Last year, Fowler said, 119 (human) runners entered, and about 20 or 25 dogs showed up, too. The canines vie for awards in both genders, and humans have plenty of prizes to howl about, too. And when a random feline ends up at the race? Well, the top cat also gets a prize.

Fowler said one cat has been a fixture at the race in the past.

“We had a cat that won every year, but didn’t do it last year,” she said, pointing out that the feline had a bit of help in winning its titles.

“It was carried,” she admitted.

Tuckerman, whose female poodle, Sasha, is the three-time winner as fastest female dog, says the event isn’t without its … interesting … moments.

“Some of the dogs are pretty competitive, and some of the dogs are pretty laid back,” Tuckerman said. “I have [a breed] which is bizarre enough to run with.”

Adding to Tuckerman’s enjoyment is the fact that his dogs have distinctly different personalities.

Mitchell? He’s “extremely aggressive.” And Sasha? She’s just out for a good time.

“Mitchell’s not big on pace,” Tuckerman said. “Sasha’s good on pace. She likes to do seven-minute miles and can do them all day. Mitchell likes to get out there and attack.”

The race course, that is.

Which, Tuckerman said, can have a negative effect on a more pace-conscious human.

Like the year Mitchell decided he was going to help Tuckerman out to a fast start.

“I usually start in 5:50, but Mitchell and I did the first mile in 5:10,” he said. “I haven’t run that fast since I was 16. And I’m 48.”

Then there was the year when Tuckerman lent Sasha to a dogless friend, then watched as she (the friend) ran by without her (the dog).

“We got separated at the start, and Sasha went back and looked for me. She was running backward on the course,” Tuckerman said. The friend, women’s standout Katrina Bisheimer, found a helpful spectator and had the race fan watch Sasha until Tuckerman finished.

Tuckerman said both Mitchell and Sasha have been training, and he’s planning on running with both poodles in tow (or vice versa) this year.

“We do speed work with tennis balls,” he joked.

Tuckerman said Sasha figures she has a reputation to uphold.

“A couple of years ago they started the sex categories for dogs, and the first year of the race, Sasha was the first female, but third overall. There was no category for her. But she remembers,” Tuckerman said.

Luchini on the fast track

Former Ellsworth High School standout Louis Luchini continues to shine for the Stanford University track and field team, and put up another sizzling time last weekend.

Luchini, a Stanford sophomore, finished 16th last Friday in the competitive invitational 5,000-meter run at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, Calif.

While the place doesn’t stand out, his time certainly does: He ran the race in 13 minutes, 42.31 seconds and vaulted to No. 5 on the all-time list at storied Stanford. Luchini is a junior at Stanford, but is competing in his second season of spring track and has two years of eligibility remaining.

To put his race in perspective:

. Luchini averaged 4:25 per mile over the 3.1-mile distance.

. His time would have won 11 of the 20 Olympic gold medals in that event, and was only seven seconds slower than the winning time in a slow, tactical race at the 2000 Olympics. The world record is 12:39.36.

. Steve Prefontaine, whose life has been the subject of at least two motion pictures, held every American record from two miles to six miles before he died in a car crash in 1975. The Oregon ace’s best 10,000 time as a collegian: 13:22.4.

Luchini is seeded among the top 10 athletes in both the 5,000 and 10,000 for the NCAA Division I championship meet, which is scheduled for May 29-June 1 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La.

Still, Luchini has a way to go to become the fastest Mainer at 5,000 meters, according to Track & Field News’ comprehensive lists: Matt Lane of Yarmouth is the 10th-fastest in collegiate history for an in-season 5,000 (13:25.38 while a senior at William & Mary in 2001), and Bruce Bickford of Benton ran a 13:13.49 in 1985 – that’s the seventh-fastest in U.S. history.

FINISHING KICK: Runners looking to race this weekend have plenty of options statewide.

On Saturday, the Blackfly 5K begins at 9:30 a.m., with a 2K run at 9 a.m. The race starts at Downeast Family YMCA.

On Sunday, runners can opt for the Pet Run, or races in Biddeford or Cumberland. The LaKermesse Franco-Americaine 10K is set for 10 a.m. at the University of New England in Biddeford; The Ian Williams 5K will begin at 9 a.m. at Greely High School in Cumberland.

John Holyoke can be reached at 990-8214, 1-800-310-8600, or by e-mail at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net.