Runners pay tribute to late Bill Pinkham

Tuesday’s 26th annual Walter Hunt Memorial 3,000-meter road race wasn’t just a race. It was a way for hundreds of runners from all over Maine to remember one of Maine’s most recognizable, beloved runners, who died tragically in this race last year.

Many of the 400-plus runners who finished the race, including race winner Judson Cake of Bar Harbor, were thinking about Bill Pinkham, the man known as “Q-Tip” to his many friends in the running community, who died at age 62 after finishing the race a year ago .

“This should be a tribute race to him really. I’m sure everyone was thinking about him today,” Cake said. “It’s hard not to after what happened last year.”

Cake, who grew up watching Pinkham run many races on the Maine coast, added that Pinkham was an inspiration to not only him, but to “all of us.”

“Growing up as a kid when I first started running, he was doing all the races and beating me all the time,” Cake said. “He just stuck through it, even with age, he did everything and ran as hard as he could.”

In honor of Pinkham, the winners of the 60-69 age group, male and female, received a medallion that was named after Pinkham.

“When we lose one of [the faces of road racing], you can’t put words to it,” author Ed Rice said after Tuesday’s race. “That’s why it was nice for [race director] David [Torrey] to do what he did.

“We’ve had back-to-back blows, losing Fred [Merriam of Bucksport] then losing Bill almost a year later,” Rice added, referring to the fact that longtime runner and race director Fred Merriam passed away two years ago.

Rice recalled that Pinkham would always be one of the first ones to register for upcoming races.

“I can remember, at the Terry Fox Run, he’d always have a low number and I would always tease him, ‘I didn’t give you that number ’cause you’re any good, I gave you that number cause you sign up before anyone else does,'” Rice said. “That’s the way he was. He was so much on road racing, he’d get the applications and have them in.”

And would Pinkham have minded the hot, sticky conditions? Not really.

“He would’ve laughed [at the weather], he would’ve just smiled and said, ‘Boy, we’re getting away with murder today cause this is not a tough day as it usually is,” Rice said. “I think he would’ve had a lot of fun [at Tuesday’s race].”

Pinkham’s longtime friend Robin Emery of Lamoine, along with Pinkham’s daughter Connie, spoke about Bill at Tuesday’s awards ceremony, which touched Rice.

“For Connie to be here, I was very touched when I saw her in the [Brewer] Auditorium,” he said.

Winners of the award were Mickey Lackey of Millinocket and Rene Collins of Brewer.

The back of the medallions that Lackey and Collins received read: “Bill Pinkham Memorial Award, 60-69 age group, Long You May Run.”

“Long You May Run” is the Sub 5 Track Club’s slogan.

Bunyan race capped

The field for the Paul Bunyan Marathon and 15K, slated for Sunday, July 16, in Bangor, has been capped, according to race director Phil LeBreton.

Volunteers are still needed for race day, however, to run water stops.

The water stops will be located at the even-numbered mile markers along the course, and LeBreton said that anyone is welcome to volunteer and that no experience is necessary.

For more information or to volunteer, contact LeBreton at 974-4007.

Beach to Beacon ties in Freeport

The runners who earned victories in Tuesday’s L.L. Bean 10K in Freeport, Ethan Hemphill and Joan Benoit Samuelson, both have ties to the upcoming Beach to Beacon 10K in unique ways.

Hemphill has always been in the top part of the field among Maine runners in the race while Samuelson founded it in 1998.

Hemphill, 33, cruised to a 33-minute, 3-second victory in Tuesday’s event in his hometown.

Samuelson, 49, also from Freeport, won a dogfight with Danyelle Phelps of Rochester, N.H. Samuelson won in 37:19 and Phelps was 11 seconds back in 37:30.