CAPE ELIZABETH – University of Maine runner Jeff Caron of Auburn says one of the highlights of running in the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K is the reunion of Maine runners.
“It’s a great race. I love coming down here,” Caron said. “We just have a great time and race some fast times.”
The 2001 Edward Little graduate made his fifth start in the race Saturday. His time of 32:33 was good for 36th place overall, the fastest time by a local runner.
After sitting out the spring season at Maine, Caron says he is still in the process of building up his mileage base. He plans to return for his final season of eligibility next spring. He will work out with the cross country and indoor track teams to get himself in peak condition to run the 5,000 meter.
“I’m looking for big things,” Caron said.
A few other local runners cracked the awards list in their respective age groups.
Mandy Ivey of Oxford Hills High School posted the fifth fastest time by a Maine female runner. Ivey, 17, averaged 6:16 per mile to finish with a time of 38:50.
In the women’s masters category, Kelly Brown of Lewiston recorded the fourth fastest time in 40:18.
World traveler
While five-time women’s champion Catherine Ndereba missed the race to prepare for this week’s World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Emily Levan used the Beach to Beacon as a tune-up for next weekend’s women’s marathon.
The Wiscasset runner, who leaves Monday for Helsinki, recorded the fastest time Saturday by a Maine women, 35:52.
“I didn’t want to go out too too hard because of the marathon,” Levan said. “I wanted to use it as a nice training run – a speed workout, keep a nice steady pace, and I managed to to do that.”
Levan will be one of five Americans competing in next Sunday’s women’s marathon. She is looking to improve upon her personal best of 2:39:54.
Teen sets new standard
South Portland graduate Eric Giddings, who will run for Stanford in the fall, wanted to run a 4:50 pace for the first mile.
He missed his target. His actual one-mile split – 4:25.
“They went out kind of fast,” he said. “We were also going downhill so it was alright. But it didn’t really hurt me much.”
He credits Great Britain runner Eddie Ernest-Jones with helping him settle into a fast, but steady pace. Giddings crossed the finish line 18th with a Maine record time of 30:34. The old mark of 30:52 was set by Bob Winn in 1998.
His two main high school rivals – Ayalew and Sintayehu Taye – were 22nd (31:51) and 30th (32:15), respectively.
High-ranking runner
Maine Gov. John Baldacci competed in the race for the third year. With his mileage cut back due to a winter injury, Baldacci still completed the 10K race in a respectable 58:53.
“I had some altercations on the ice this year, so my goal was to finish the race in one piece,” he said.
Baldacci fell on the ice at the Blaine House – the governor’s home in Augusta – in February and broke three ribs. While much of his regiment consisted of weight training and running on a treadmill, Baldacci says he relishes the times when he can hit the roads.
“Running and working out is a great mental exercise,” he said. “Every once in awhile, we get a difficult issue at the office, and it gets me an opportunity to kind of work it out.”
Cool runners
One group of volunteers who had little to do were the doctors, nurses and therapists manning the medical tent.
The near perfect running conditions – moderate temperatures with low humidity – caused few problems for the thousands of runners. According to Chris Troyanos, the medical coordinator for the race, 45-50 runners were treated in the tent, mostly for heat-related issues.
“Obviously on a summer day like this, everyone is going to have some type of heat exhaustion to a certain level. But nothing in the way of anything ranging in a heat-stroke situation.
“If it was (Friday), I’d think we would have been much busier.”
Comments are no longer available on this story