Naked race turns out fairly modest

LIMESTONE – While It buzzed with rumors that Sunday’s planned road race would be a naked event, only a few brave souls bared all to try to win the “100th Running of the First Annual Runaway Jim Memorial 5K.”

The brainchild of the band, the race takes it name from the Phish tune, “Runaway Jim,” about a dog that has moved on.

Convinced it might mean victory, 21-year-old Brian Betournay of Dover, N.H., wore only a hat and a pair of running shoes.

“I figured the lower the weight, the faster the runner,” Betournay said while dancing in his racing outfit after the race. “I was more aerodynamic.” Finishing a few dozen places out of first, Betournay said the event was a ton of fun.

Breaking forth like floodwaters at 11 a.m., the race had only 1,500 official contestants, but estimates put the number of participants at close to 3,000. The race flowed down the former Air Force base’s runways and circled camping areas.

Winning the men’s section with a time of roughly 15 minutes was 22-year-old Justin Easter of Presque Isle, while the women’s first-place went to 31-year-old Ann Clemens of Albuquerque, N.M., with a time of roughly 19 minutes. The winners were scheduled to receive the Limestone Loving Cup onstage from the band at one of Sunday night’s performances.

Both Easter and Clemens said they would have run naked if everyone else had done so, although Easter thought it could have affected his chances.

“I’m not sure I would have run as fast if I was naked,” Easter said.