Distance festival takes hiatus Track meet in scheduling conflict with U.S. Olympic Trials

One of the most popular running events in Maine, which attracted top national and international competitors, is taking a year off.

The Maine Distance Festival, a world-class track meet held annually at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, is on hiatus this year for a few reasons, according to director Steve Podgajny.

One main reason is that event directors couldn’t find a date that wouldn’t conflict with the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif. The trials are set for July 9-18, while the festival usually is held on Fourth of July weekend.

“It was just something we had to do,” Podgajny said. “It was just too late for us to switch gears.”

Ironically, in an Olympic year runners could use the meet to qualify for the trials if they hadn’t already.

The event was organized in 1994 by a group of volunteers led by Podgajny, and it hit the national spotlight quickly.

U.S. Olympian Regina Jacobs set an American record in the 5,000 meter run in 1998 and drove home in a Volvo, which was the prize at that time if anyone set an American record. Jason Pryah was the first person to run a sub-4 minute mile in Maine, also that year.

The meet has been broadcast on Fox Sports New England during the past few years.

Three international runners broke their respective country’s marks in the 10,000 meters in 2000, while five records fell last year, including Greely of Cumberland Center standout Ben True’s 4:15 performance in the 1,600.

“People really appreciate the athlete for effort and quality racing,” Podgajny said.

The event is expected to return next summer with a Boston-area sports management company set to take over the running of the event.

Tour du Lac on the horizon

Known as the “Race Around the Lake,” the 29th annual Tour du Lac 10-miler will take place in Bucksport on Saturday, starting at 7:30 a.m. at the town swimming pool. It’s the fifth race in the Applebee’s Sub 5 Race Series.

Ninety-one runners finished the race last year, with Judson Cake of Bar Harbor and Cassie Hintz of Old Town taking top spots in their divisions.

“It’s a pretty low-key event, and it tends to be the same people year after year,” said race director Joan Merriam.

The course, which winds around Silver Lake, is one of the more challenging in the area, with a hilly first mile and rolling hills after that.

The race originally was a bike race for two years, but was changed to a road race in 1973.

Registration gets under way at 6:30 a.m. The entry fee is $6, and T-shirts will be sold separately for $5, with proceeds benefiting the Sub 5 Track Club Scholarship Fund.

The swimming pool will be open to all runners at the conclusion of the race.

Finishing Kick: If you don’t feel a 10-miler is your speed, you have more options this weekend. The Strawberry Festival 5-miler and 2.5-mile walk will be held in South Berwick starting at 8 a.m. Saturday. On Sunday, the second annual Maine Games Track and Field event will take place at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. Registrations will be accepted from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Log onto www.mainegames.org to print registration forms. The event gets under way at 9.