CARRABASSETT VALLEY – With cool temperatures, cloudy skies Robert Ashby runs through Stratton. and intermittent rain showers providing favorable conditions for runners, 49 year-old Robert Ashby of Brunswick Maine, took home top honors in the 36th annual Sugarloaf Marathon today, with a finish time of two hours, forty-one minutes, and forty-nine seconds. Twenty four year-old Sarah Walker of Waterville Maine, claimed victory over the women’s field in 2:52:59.
Maine runners were well represented in the 15K as well, with thirty year-old Jonny Wilson of Falmouth and forty-nine year-old Christine Hein of North Yarmouth crossing the finish line in 47:07 and 57:37, respectively.
As the saying goes, ‘third time is the charm’, for Ashby who found the top spot on the podium after placing second and third in the Marathon in 2015 and 2017. This year, the top three finishers in the men’s field were separated by only one minute with Ian Therriault of Braintree MA taking second place in 2:42:09, and Matthew Daly of Eliot ME in third with a time of 2:42:50
Walker held more than an eleven minute lead over second place finisher, Carolyn Yang of Rogers, AR who crossed the finish line in 3:04:35. Kacey Busque joined Yang and Walker on the women’s podium in third place, with a finish time of 3:09:33.
Maine runners swept the 15K podiums, with Kenneth Akiha of Orono and Ryan Collins of Portland finishing behind Wilson in the men’s division, with finish times of 50:18 and 52:01 respectively. Tamlyn Frederick of Harpswell and Audrey MacHowski of Wales rounded out the women’s top three with Hein, crossing the finish line in 1:05:53 and 1:06:48.
With competitors traveling from as far away as Guatemala, this year’s race was comprised of 1600 registered runners hailing from 49 states and 4 countries.
Sponsored by Landry French Construction Company and Darling’s, the Sugarloaf Marathon is Maine’s oldest continuously run marathon. As an official qualifying race for the Boston Marathon certified by the United States Track and Field Association (USATF), the Sugarloaf Marathon is wildly popular among running enthusiasts. Despite its mountainous setting, the course is primarily downhill and ends with a gradual 16 mile descent. Marathon runners regularly record personal-best times at Sugarloaf.
One hundred percent of sponsor dollars from the marathon go to the Sugarloaf Region Charitable Trust, which is a private, nonprofit trust dedicated to improving the quality of life for the communities that make up the Sugarloaf Area.
The top three men and women in each race received cash prizes, and all entrants received a t-shirt, post-race breakfast, massage, and a finisher’s medal that had been crafted by students in the Foster Tech Pre-Engineering Program on the Mt. Blue Campus in Farmington.
For more information on the Sugarloaf Marathon, please visit www.sugarloaf.com/marathon.
About Sugarloaf– Located in Carrabassett Valley, ME, Sugarloaf is largest ski area in the East, and is home to the only lift-serviced above treeline skiing and riding in the East, and the number one golf course in Maine, according to Golf Digest. Sugarloaf is a member of the Boyne Resorts family of resorts and attractions. Follow: www.sugarloaf.com, www.facebook.com/sugarloaf, and http://twitter.com/sugarloafmaine.
I’ve done a couple of Sugarloaf Marathons a “few” years ago, it is a good run to get in a Boston qualifier
The crowds thin out a bit once you get out of Stratton so you can concentrate on the running unfettered!