December 22, 2024
ON THE RUN

Saucony 5K has healthy renewal

Jeremy Durost was hoping that more than 100 runners would show up to participate in the Saucony 5-kilometer road race Sunday in Bangor.

The Saucony Outlet’s manager got that many participants and then some: 125 to be exact.

“Anything past 100, we were going to be happy with. We used to have more when we were part of the Sub 5 series,” Durost explained.

Joe Capehart of Bangor and Katrina Bisheimer of Bucksport were the overall winners, and took home $100 gift certificates to the Saucony Outlet for their efforts.

Age group winners got $50, and runners-up got more than they expected.

“They were supposed to get $25, but the printers messed up so they got $52,” Durost said. “No one seemed to object.”

The race hadn’t been run since 2001, but Durost had expressed interest in bringing it back.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a couple years,” he said. “I put together a proposal in mid-January to see if it was something we could do. It was just a matter of getting everything lined up and approved.”

The one concern Durost did have was with the race falling on Mother’s Day, as some runners may have had family obligations and may not have been able to attend.

“I was kind of nervous about doing it on Mother’s Day,” he said.

Durost’s nerves were calmed when he discovered that 56 percent of the runners in the field were women.

“I wonder if Mother’s Day had anything to do with that,” he said, adding that the percentage of women in the field was “only about 40-41 percent in the past years.”

The course was flat and fast, perfect for a Mother’s Day jaunt. It started and finished at the Saucony Outlet on Farm Road, winding through the Industrial Park, with only two small hills in each direction.

Capehart’s winning time was 17 minutes, 10 seconds while Bisheimer’s was 20:39.

“It went about as smoothly as I could’ve hoped for this weekend,” Durost said.

“We would love to do it again next year,” he added.

Sugarloaf races Sunday

The Sugarloaf Marathon and 15K will celebrate their 25th anniversaries on Sunday, with the marathon starting at 7 a.m. in Stratton and the 15K at 7:30 in Carrabassett Valley.

The marathon serves as a Boston Marathon qualifier, and is one of the fastest marathon courses in the Northeast.

Packet pickup and registration for the marathon will be from 3-8 p.m. at the Sugarloaf/USA Base Lodge on Saturday. No race-day registrations will be accepted for the marathon.

Runners can register for the marathon on Saturday from 3-8 at the Base Lodge for $50.

The 15K course is fast, and is run on the final 9.3 miles of the marathon route.

Like marathoners, all pre-registrants may pick up their packets at the Sugarloaf Base Lodge from 3-8 p.m., while race day registration for the 15K will take place at the starting area in Carrabassett Valley from 6:15-7 a.m.

The fee for the 15K is $18 until Saturday, and then $25.

Those seeking more information may contact Jim McCormack at 237-6876.

Luchini breaks Sea Dogs record

Ellsworth native Louis Luchini took home a lot of loot at Sunday’s Portland Sea Dogs 5K.

Being the race winner, he was awarded with Sea Dogs’ season tickets for the remainder of this season, and a chance to throw out the first pitch at a Sea Dogs’ home game.

But that’s not all for the former Stanford University and Ellsworth High School running standout.

Luchini, 25, obliterated Ethan Hemphill’s two-year old course record by a whopping 42 seconds, finishing in a speedy 14:30. Freeport’s Hemphill, who had dominated the race over the last few years, was a distant second in 15:27.

Kristin Barry won the women’s division in 17:25, and more than 1,400 runners completed the race.

Correction: The winner of the women’s division of Sunday’s Saucony 5K road race in Bangor was incorrect in a sports story which ran Thursday morning. Kristen Bailey was the top female finisher.

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