First Mount Desert Island marathon slated Scenic, challenging course from Bar Harbor to Southwest Harbor awaiting Oct. 20 runners

Gary Allen proudly refers to himself as an old-school marathoner. He remembers his first attempt at the 26.2-mile distance fondly, if a bit masochistically.

It was July 14, 1977. The race started at noon. In Bangor. And the temperature was in the high 90s before he arrived in Orono.

Along the way, he recalls, things got a bit … interesting.

“As we passed by the current intersection of Hogan Road and Stillwater Avenue, a huge bull from one of the neighboring farms came out onto the race course and chased us skinny, sweaty runners for a couple hundred meters,” Allen said in an e-mail this week. “Our surge rivaled the best Kenyans at the top of Heartbreak Hill.”

In a nutshell, here’s his marathon philosophy: “My opinion is that EASY and MARATHON don’t ever, or never have belonged in the same sentence,” Allen said.

With that in mind, and the goal of getting Eastern Maine back into the marathon biz, Allen came up with an idea.

A marathon on Mount Desert Island. Uphill and down. Scenic? You bet. But easy? No way.

The result: the first Mount Desert Island Marathon will take place on Oct. 20, on a course that will take runners from Bar Harbor to Southwest Harbor, and do what marathons used to do in the “good old days:” It’ll be a test.

Allen pointed out that many races that are staged today are arranged so that runners will face as flat a course as possible. Runners, he said, fall victim to that ploy and try to run in the “easiest” marathons they can find.

“To me, it’s like taking a helicopter to within 250 feet of the summit of Mt. Everest and walking up from there, and then saying you climbed Mt. Everest,” he said. “Crossing the finish line in a marathon is the goal, no question. But doing the work between the starting line and the finish line has become [something] runners don’t want to [do].”

That won’t be the case at MDI, Allen promised.

“We want to be known as a tough but fair race,” Allen e-mails (he would have talked, but he was so busy meeting with sponsors, he said, he didn’t have much free time). “We wanted our course to feel like a journey instead of the current trend of out-and-backs and multi-loop affairs. Finally, when a runner crosses our finish line and is awarded their medal, they will have earned it.”

Apparently, many marathoners agree: Allen’s website (www.mdimarathon.org) has received more than 12,000 hits already, and entries are pouring in from all over the nation.

Allen initially thought that runners might not like the idea of a marathon on a hilly island. But he knows enough about the psyche of road-runners to figure they might look forward to such a challenge.

So he embraced the terrain, and has even used the difficulty to promote the race.

One case in point: A print advertisement that features a mother rhinoceros and her baby. In the bottom corner, readers see the words “Mount Desert Island Marathon.” In the top corner: “One tough mother.”

“We strongly feel that TOUGH and MARATHON belong in the same sentence,” Allen summed up.

Luchini eyes NCAA success

Former Ellsworth High School star Louie Luchini is in Baton Rouge, La., this week, where he’ll compete in the 81st NCAA men’s track and field championships.

Luchini, a Stanford University junior who is participating in his second year of outdoor track, is seeded eighth (28 minutes, 49.86 seconds) in the 10,000-meter run, which was scheduled for a 9:15 p.m. start on Thursday.

He’ll also compete in the 5,000 at 8:40 p.m. Saturday. He’s the 10th seed in that event (13:42.31).

Best young runners head to Orono

Distance enthusiasts who want to watch some top-notch racing this weekend can head to the University of Maine in Orono, where all three state high school championship meets will be contested concurrently for the second year in a row.

Among the Eastern Mainers to watch: Ellsworth senior Steve DeWitt, who narrowly missed a state record in the 1,600 last week; Brewer junior Heather Clark, who has a 5:07 1,600 on her resume; Hampden’s Oriana Farley, who is a threat to set a state mark in the 800; Jeff Alden of Caribou, who competes at a high level in all three distance races; Rosie Hughes of Belfast in the 1,600 and 3,200; Caleb Paul of Narraguagus, a triple-winner in the regional Class C meet; and Shelby Howe of Narraguagus and Kara Gaston of John Bapst, who will hook up in duels at 1,600 and 3,200. Howe will also run the 800.

Finishing kick: Runners have at least three options if they’re looking to race this weekend. In Bangor on Saturday, the Garelick Farms-Bangor YMCA Main Street Mile will begin at 9 a.m. at the Irving Station on Main Street. The flat and downhill course is divided into three divisions, based on a runner’s speed; On Sunday, the popular Peter Ott’s 10K will begin at 9 a.m. in Camden; Also on Sunday, the Flatfoot 4-miler and kids’ 1-miler will be held at South Portland High School.

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