Weekend races quicken the slow pace of spring Bangor High’s Masters decides to be Maine man

loading...

Now that it’s finally starting to feel like spring – depending on where you are – let’s take a gander at a few local road racing events that are appearing on the horizon, as the calendar page will soon flip to April.

The third annual Flat Top 5K will be run Saturday in Lamoine at 10 a.m. at the Lamoine School.

The race honors the late Bill Pinkham, a Lamoine runner who died in 2005 after finishing the Walter Hunt Memorial 3K in Bangor.

The event also features a 1-mile fun run for kids, and the fee for both races is $10.

While the Flat Top race honors the memory of Pinkham, the Ma’nakwane 5K, set for April 12 on Indian Island, pays tribute to the late Lindsey Almenas.

Almenas was an Old Town High School student who was killed in an automobile accident, along with boyfriend Ryan Worcester.

Proceeds from the race benefit the Lindsey Almenas Scholarship Fund. Registration gets under way at 8 a.m. and the race starts at 10 at the Penobscot Nation Community Building.

If you register before Saturday, the fee is $12, but after that, it’s $15. Fees for children age 10 or under are $8 and $10, respectively.

All preregistrants receive a commemorative T-shirt, while shirts will be for sale at the race for $10 for those who choose to sign up on race day.

Any questions, contact Dee Love at 817-7301.

One favorite among local runners is the Orrington 10K, set for April 26 at the Center Drive School.

This flat and fast 10K through this quiet community is the first of 11 races in the Sub 5 Track Club’s race series.

Events kick off at 8 a.m. with race-day registration in the school gymnasium, with a one-mile fun run at 9 and the 10K at 9:30.

The entry fee is $12 for the 10K and $2 for the fun run, and the first 70 to sign up will get a T-shirt. Showers will also be available.

Contact Ryan King at 478-2381 with any questions.

Applications for all of the aforementioned races are available on www.sub5.com.

Road racing

Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, March 29

At Ellsworth, Flattop 5K, kids’ mile

At Oakland, Papa’s 5K Run/Walk

Sunday, March 30

At Standish, Great Scot Trot 5K

At Kittery, Eastern States 20-Miler, Run to the Border Half Marathon

Saturday, April 5

At Albion, Pi Run/Walk

At Portland, Luv2Run Portland 5K

Saturday, April 12

At Indian Island, Ma’nakwane 5K Run/Walk

Saturday, April 19

At Unity, Unity College Spring 5K

Monday, April 21

At Portland, Patriots Day 5-Miler

Saturday, April 26

At Cumberland, Safe Passage 5K

Sunday, April 27

At Tenants Harbor, Get Fit 5K

At Scarborough, Run for the Arts 5K

Key PVC track meets

With the start of spring track and field practices scheduled to begin Monday, let’s highlight a few notable meets on the Penobscot Valley Conference schedule.

Brewer opens its season April 17 with a dual meet at Belfast before kicking off its PVC slate with an April 25 home date with Caribou, John Bapst of Bangor and eight other schools.

The Bangor and Mount Desert Island girls will square off in an early-season showdown April 26 at Bar Harbor, while the Rams face Caribou a week later at Cameron Stadium.

Brewer and Bangor, who figure to be two of the top girls teams in the conference with MDI close behind, will not face each other until May 13 at Brewer’s Pendleton Street Field.

This meet will also feature KVAC entry and Class B power Waterville, along with Hermon.

This will mark the Witches’ final regular-season home meet at the old Pendleton Street facility, with construction on the new elementary school in Brewer slated to start this fall.

The conference championship meets will be held on the final weekend of May. The Class C meet will be held May 30 at Foxcroft Academy while the Class A-B championships will take place a day later in Presque Isle.

Maine-UNH meet canceled

The University of Maine men’s and women’s track teams were slated to host rival University of New Hampshire this weekend at the Beckett Complex.

However, the facility will not be ready in time for Saturday’s competition, thus forcing the cancellation of the meet.

The meet was set to be the Black Bears’ only regular-season home date. They will host the America East Championships May 3-4.

bdnsports@bangordailynews.net