10-miler to test runners 31st Tour du Lac scheduled Saturday

Chris Jones has lived in Bucksport for “about 18 years,” and has run the Tour du Lac 10-miler in his hometown 18 times.

And when the position of race director opened, he took advantage of the opportunity.

“It was sort of left up in the air, anyone who wanted to could actually take it over,” Jones said. “Since I’ve run it quite a few times and live in Bucksport, it made sense.”

The Bucksport High School cross country and track coach will direct the 31st annual race, which will begin at the Bucksport swimming pool Saturday at 7:30 a.m.

For some runners like Jones, whose coaching duties keep him busy during the spring, the Tour du Lac kicks off the road racing season, with the Walter Hunt 3K in Brewer generally a week later.

“There certainly always are a pretty decent group of people who show up and always run this,” Jones said. “I know Chris Almy is gonna be there, and my wife talked to Evan Graves; he said he’s going to [run].”

The course, which winds around Sliver Lake, is a typical Maine road course: Scenic, challenging and some rolling hills.

“It’s a challenging course, there always seems to be a nice downhill after every major uphill,” Jones said.

After 10 miles of running, the perfect cool-down opportunity awaits runners: A dip in the swimming pool.

“That’s a nice little touch, when you finish your race you can go and hop in the pool,” Jones said. “You can’t beat that.”

If the weather cooperates and if a smart race is run, a fast time is possible. Last year Mike Bunker of Bucksport won in 54 minutes, 25 seconds.

Jones said former Bucksport running standout Gerry Clapper holds the course record of 50:48, roughly a 5:05 mile pace.

Jones feels honored to be taking over the reigns of a race the late Fred Merriam and his wife Joan directed for years.

“He and Joan have done that race for quite a long time,” he said. “Its an absolute honor to do a race that those two put on.”

And a race in Bucksport wouldn’t be complete without someone named Clapper out on the course somewhere. Charlie Clapper, who has run the race many times, will give one-mile splits, Jones said, while Jones’ wife Margaret, whose maiden name is Clapper, will run in the race.

‘Q-Train’ still rolling

His high school track and field season may have ended two weeks ago, but Casey Quaglia is still posting fast times.

The 17-year-old Quaglia, who is going into his senior year at Bangor High School, won both the 1,500- and 800-meter runs at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics Region I qualifying meet last weekend in Augusta, posting times of 4:17.41 and 2:09.00, respectively.

The wins qualify Quaglia to run in the USATF Region I championships to be held July 7-9 in Kingston, N.Y.

Hunt 3K drawing near

Maine’s fastest road race is right around the corner.

The 26th annual Walter Hunt Memorial 3K will be held on the Fourth of July, starting in Brewer at 10:45 a.m. and finishing at Pickering Square in Bangor.

Registration gets under way at 8:30 a.m. inside the Brewer Auditorium, and the entry fee is $8.

The speedy course is known for producing fast times – and since the quality of outstanding runners around Eastern Maine continues to grow every year – this year should be no different.

Bunker won last year in 8:35 while the top 19 runners – between them averaging 25 years of age – all posted times under 10 minutes.

Cassie Hintz’s 3K times have been progressively faster every summer, and if she runs a smart race, this could be the year she challenges the course record of 9:28.