Run of the mill? This Bunyan’s anything but Marathon sees uncommon finishes, eccentric characters

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Of all the athletes who competed in Sunday’s Paul Bunyan Marathon and 15K race in Bangor, John McArdle had the best reason to be upset.

McArdle, a 40-year-old who competed in the wheelchair division while pedaling his hand-cycle, found his day unraveling about 40 minutes into what he assumed was a marathon.

Unknowingly, McArdle had followed the wrong arrows on the course and the wrong lead car, and ended up winning a 15K race he hadn’t even entered.

After notifying race officials, however, the Montpelier, Vt., athlete got back to business: A police officer shuttled him back to the intersection he’d missed, McArdle saddled up again and he completed the marathon course.

He won that, too.

“It’s good to be home,” he said, smiling, shortly after finishing (and seconds after refusing to accept a competitor’s medal – he completed the course wearing the medal that had been draped around his neck after “winning” the 15K more than an hour earlier.

The Paul Bunyan Marathon was held in Bangor for the first time since 1984, and McArdle’s saga was one of several that developed as the morning wore on.

Yes, the marathon is back. No, things did not go exactly as planned. Yes, there is plenty of room for improvement.

And yes, the athletes seemed perfectly content to ignore the minor pitfalls and enjoy the day.

“You know what? I could have had a better time, but it happens,” McArdle said. “This is the first time they’ve [had the race in years], and I’ll do it again.”

McArdle said his miscue took place at the intersection of Burleigh Road and Essex Street, about six miles into the race.

McArdle didn’t notice any signs and said he followed his escort when the marathon and 15K courses split. He thought the police officer knew he was a marathoner.

It wasn’t until he arrived at Cameron Stadium three miles later that he realized the misunderstanding.

“I’m not frustrated at all. It’s just a joy to be back,” he said.

Among the other pitfalls that could have marred the race’s return:

. The 15K course was not actually 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) long. It was about 8.9 miles instead.

“When we measured the course, they were doing some pavement work on Garland Street so we had to work around measuring it [because of] where they were doing construction,” race director Phil Lebreton said. “We made that announcement at the [runner’s] expo the last couple of days.”

Some runners heard the announcement, but others didn’t, and reached the finish line puzzled by how fast they ran the final 1.3 miles.

. The 15K men’s race featured a winner who wasn’t, and a champ who received credit after completing a modified version of the course.

Andy Beardsley of Surry had the race in control until the final mile, when he went off course by missing a turn, cutting off about two-tenths of a mile, then failed to enter the Cameron Stadium parking lot when he missed another turn.

Beardsley said he missed the parking lot entrance, which leads directly to the finish line, because nobody was there to point him in the right direction. He also blamed the mistake on himself for not knowing the course.

Adam Goode of Orono passed Beardsley and reached the finish line first, but race officials eventually decided to award Beardsley first place despite his detour.

“After talking to Beardsley and to the timing guy, we calculated what we figured the difference was, then Adam agreed to [Beardsley] being named the winner,” Lebreton said.

Despite the unorthodox ruling – most times, a runner who runs off course is disqualified, or given credit for the time he actually crosses the finish line, if a longer distance was run – Goode had no problem with the decision.

“I’m not running road races to take home the rock that says ‘First place’ on it from the Paul Bunyan [15K],” Goode said, referring to the granite trophies that were awarded.

“Andy passed me on mile seven, and he clearly was gonna beat me,” Goode said. “So you’ve got to be honest. You can’t deny that.”

. Runners who completed the races ended up having to fend for themselves on their trip back to the starting line at Bass Park, about two miles away. No shuttle service existed, and many runners ended up walking or relying on the kindness of strangers willing to shuttle them across town.

“They need some help in the organization, like getting to and from the start at the finish,” said marathoner Andrew Kotulski of Montclair, N.J. The Paul Bunyan Marathon was Kotulski’s 566th marathon since 1976 and he gave the race generally high marks.

But despite the occasional missteps, runners seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Well, they enjoyed themselves as much as can be expected for folks who just ran 26.2 miles.

Most of the marathoners were not from Maine, and many likely shared Kotulski’s reasons for entering: Because it was there.

“I’m not collecting numbers,” said Kotulski, who has run an average of 19 marathons a year for the last 30 years. “I just like running marathons in different places. What a great way to see the world.”

The weather cooperated as much as could be expected, with overcast skies shielding the runners from oppressive heat for most of the morning.

One runner participated wearing a Superman shirt and cape. Others wore shirts bearing messages to loved ones. One ran the entire distance carrying a large flag and wearing a shirt with a religious message emblazoned on it. One woman with an injured foot still wanted to participate, so she began walking the course at 2 a.m.

And then there was the fairy.

Yes, the fairy.

Keith Straw, a 51-year-old from Malvern, Pa., wore a striking pink ensemble featuring matching tutu, shirt, sunglasses, wand and shoes.

His running shoes, he admitted, didn’t come pink. He spray-painted them.

And of course, Straw, originally from Nottingham, England, arrived in Bangor with a story.

“In England about 10 years ago, I was in a half-marathon, at the start line, and the guy next to me was dressed as a fairy,” he said. “I thought, ‘I’m gonna have that guy. I’m never gonna get beaten by a fairy.'”

Famous last words.

As it turns out, the fairy had wings on his feet … or something like that.

“It turned out he was a great runner, and I ended up having my best-ever half-marathon, trying to keep up with the fairy,” Straw said.

“So when I came to the states nine years ago, I thought, ‘Heck, I’ll be the fairy for a change. That way I won’t have to keep up with one.'”

On Sunday, Straw made that task very difficult: Few kept up with the fairy, as he finished 16th in 3:20:01.

He said that sometimes, he competes as a normal, mild-mannered marathoner. At other times – during “the fun ones,” he dresses up.

The billowing tutu does create a bit of wind resistance, but Straw said he has learned to overcome it.

“Drag works both ways,” he said. “When the wind’s behind me, I’m cruising. I’m windsurfing.”

And after windsurfing his way from Bangor to Orono and back, Straw had nothing but good things to say about his experience.

“Good course. Good people. Very well-organized. Great volunteers at the water stops,” Straw said. “I’ll be back next year.”