Spud racers mash Maine Marathon competition

It was well worth the long trip from Aroostook Country to the Maine Marathon in Portland for the Spudland Racers of Caribou.

Jeff Sprague, Thomas, Beckum, P.J. Gorneault and Scotty Dorrity ran to a course record in the marathon relay portion of Sunday’s race, finishing in 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 40 seconds, taking more than three minutes off the old mark of 2:32.07.

“That’s a good group of runners right there, I’ll tell you,” said Aroostook Musterds club president Linda Mountain.

The marathon’s overall title went to Byrne Decker of Yarmouth, who broke his own course record, winning in 2:30:25. Dana Parrot of Tampa, Fla., who has run the Walter Hunt 3K in Bangor in past years, dominated the women’s race, winning in 2:53:54.

Half-marathon winners were Michael Payson of Falmouth (1:13:10) and Erin Chlumsky of Boulder, Colorado (1:20:03).

Meanwhile, Mountain announced the Musterds’ end-of-the-season banquet will be held October 14th at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle.

She also announced series winners in different categories.

For the women, Angie Ewings was the overall winner, while age-group winners were: 15-18, Kristina Stevens; 19-29, Renee Laliberty; 30-39, Tess Minor-Sarra; 40-49, Mountain, 50-over, Connie McLellan.

On the men’s side, the overall title went to Jeff Ashby. Age group winners were: 15-18, Dean Patten; 19-29, Evan Graves; 40-49, Rob Langner; 50-59, Larry Tonzi; 60-69, Joe Beasley and 70-over, Art Townsend.

“You have to run at least four races in order to qualify for a series award,” Mountain explained. “Depending on where you finish in the race, points are awarded on that finish.”

“It was fun, it was the first time we’ve ever done the half-[marathon],” Mountain said of the Portland race. “We haven’t been down in a couple years.”

Moose on the Loose

While plenty of moose may be lurking in the woods of Greenville this weekend, plenty of squirrels will take to the Piscataquis County town’s streets and paths Sunday for the fifth Camden National Bank Moose on the Run 5K.

The race, which also includes a 1K event for kids, starts at 10:30 a.m. at Greenville High School, with registration starting at 8:30 in the gym. The 1K starts at 9:30.

The scenic course is run mostly on pavement but includes some dirt trails. With the foliage peaking, runners can expect some great scenery.

And maybe even a moose on the course?

MDI Marathon next weekend

Time is running out if you’re looking to register for the Mount Desert Island marathon, which is Sunday, Oct. 15.

The field is limited to 1,000 participants and online registration closes Friday (night) at midnight.

The race starts in downtown Bar Harbor at 8 a.m. Log onto www.mdimarathon.org for information or to register.