The Beach to Beacon is behind us, and August is in full swing. That’s bad news for kids, as school is approaching, but good news for runners, as they hope the weather cools off with some major races just around the corner.

One of the local favorites is the 16th Warren Bishop Memorial Run, slated for Aug. 23 at 9 a.m. on the 2.8-mile Hampden Academy cross country course.

The race is named after Bishop, a 1985 graduate of Hampden Academy who ran both track and cross country. He was killed in a car accident in the summer of 1987, and the first race took place later that year.

The course isn’t a walk in the park, especially if you’ve never seen it before.

“It doesn’t look challenging at first, but the hills and corners just sneak up you,” race director Dick Ballentine said.

According to Ballentine, the race attracts around 70 to 85 runners each year, most of whom are Hampden cross country athletes. “We use it as a time trial,” he said.

The Warren Bishop women’s course record is held by Bonnie Boyer (17 minutes, 56 seconds). Old Town High’s Cassie Hintz clocked a 17:55 in the Pendale Cross Country Invitational last fall.

Brent Leighton, an uncle of former Hampden track and cross country standout Oriana Farley, holds the men’s mark of 15:46.

Ballentine hopes to attract more runners at some point. “We’ve always tried to get over 100,” he said.

Blueberry Festival run a hot spot

Next weekend, the Applebee’s Sub 5 Race Series heads into Machias for one of its most popular races, the 28th Machias Blueberry 5-miler and 1-mile fun run. The race is among many events at the Machias Blueberry Festival.

The race kicks off at 8 a.m. with registration getting under way at 6.

Top overall finishers get Nike windsuits donated by the Maine Wild Blueberry Association, a $100 savings bond, and an additional $100 if the course record is broken, according to race director Cathy Carter.

Women’s and men’s course records are held by Belfast High track and cross country coach JoAnn Nealy (29:35) and Mike Gaige (24:35), respectively.

According to Carter, this isn’t an easy romp through the blueberry fields.

“It’s a very hilly course, and there’s a series of two hills near the one-mile mark,” she said.

Carter acknowledged that 275 runners have shown up in the past for the 5-miler and more than 100 for the fun run. “We hope to have more this year,” she added.

Fees are $10 for the 5-miler and $5 for the fun run, respectively.

Finishing Kick: As far as this weekend goes, you’ve got a plethora of racing options. On Saturday, the George Schaefer Memorial 5K will take place in Winter Harbor. In Houlton, the County Open Half Marathon and Relay will be held at Houlton Community Golf Course, while a couple of hours down Route 1 in Calais, the 24th Johnson’s True Value 5-miler will go off at 9 a.m. On Sunday, you can head to Bristol for the Alvin Sproul Samoset 10K and 1-mile fun run at the Bristol Consolidated School on Route 130. The Fun Run kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with the 10K at 9:15.