Area track standouts set for national competition

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While many of Maine’s high school track and field athletes are taking a quick breather between the end of the indoor season and the start of spring track preseason practices on March 31, a select few are gearing up for the Nike Indoor Nationals and National Scholastic Indoor Classic, respectively.

Riley Masters of Bangor is among 10 Maine athletes competing in the Nike Indoor Nationals this weekend at the Prince Georges Sports Complex in Landover, Md.

The competition kicks off Saturday and runs through Sunday.

Masters will compete in the mile run, which he won at the Class A state championships last month. He went on to finish third at the New England championships with a strong clocking of 4 minutes, 19.42 seconds.

Messalonskee of Oakland’s Jesse Labreck will compete in the indoor pentathlon, consisting of the shot put, long jump, 55-meter hurdles, high jump and 800-meter run, while New England champ Becky O’Brien of Cumberland Center-based Greely is one of the favorites in the shot put.

Old Town distance ace Hilary Maxim and Cony of Augusta star pole vaulter Bethany Dumas will head up a strong contingent of 17 Maine athletes at the National Scholastic Indoor Classic, which will be held today through Sunday at the Armory in New York City.

Maxim won the Class B state championship in the mile this winter with a 5:06.09 while Dumas broke her own Class A state mark in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet, 10 inches.

Brunswick’s David Slovenski will compete in the pole vault. He, too, established a state record this winter, clearing 16-2.50.

State meet sites set

The Maine Principals’ Association has determined the locations for this spring’s outdoor track and field state championship meets on June 7.

Windham High School will host the Class A state meet, Morse of Bath the Class B meet at McMann Field while the Class C competition will be hosted by Westbrook.

The Class A championships return to Windham for the first time since 2005, when arguably one of the greatest races in the history of Maine track and field was run as former Portland runner Sintayehu Taye established a state record of 4:09.69 in the 1,600 meters, outdueling older brother Ayalew and former South Portland star Eric Giddings, both of whom ran 4:10.

This race was run in oppressive heat.

Morse hosted the Class A state meet a year ago while Westbrook last hosted a state meet in 2005 (Class C).

Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft had hosted the Class C meet the last two years.

Thornton Academy in Saco will host the New England championships June 14.

Some signs of spring

There may still be plenty of snow left on the ground from Mother Nature’s tirade over the last month or so, but spring is just around the corner and many of the area’s roads and sidewalks are almost perfect for running.

With that said, the road racing schedule around Maine will start to kick into gear later this month, while one of the state’s more popular 5Ks was held last weekend.

Six-hundred-forty-seven runners converged on the streets of Portland for the Irish Road Rover 5K with a local favorite claiming the victory.

Adam Goode of Bangor, a former University of Maine and Bangor High standout, toured the Old Port course in 16:23, seven seconds ahead of South Portland’s Dan Franek.

Cony of Augusta runner Luke Fontaine took third place, former Limestone star Robbie Gomez, now living in Orono, finished fourth and Brunswick High runner Will Geoghegan was fifth.

Local runners can head to Lamoine for a favorite on March 29 when the third annual Flattop 5K will be held at the Lamoine School.

This event honors the late Bill Pinkham, a Lamoine runner who ran many local road races. He passed away after finishing the Walter Hunt 3K in 2005.

The race features a flat, fast out-and-back course and is ideal for runners of all abilities. The event attracted 155 runners last year.

Applications are available on www.sub5.com, and the registration fee is only $10.

This weekend, runners can head down to Saco for the Kerryman Pub 5K at noon Sunday at Thornton Academy.

Online registration is available through www.mainetrackclub.com, and the fee is $20.

Meanwhile, the Sub 5 track club’s race series will kick off on April 26 with the Orrington 10K race.

bdnsports@bangordailynews.net