L.L. BEAN 4th of JULY 10K, Freeport, July 4
Todd Coffin and Joan Benoit Samuelson kept up their 4th of July tradition
by trouncing a field of fine runners on a course warmed by sun, fog and
steam from evaporating rain. Coffin had hoped to find head to head
competition for the 1st place L.L. Bean Gift Certificate, but found himself
alone for most of the run. "It was kind of a let down, being out there all
alone." said Coffin who had pointed specifically for this race. Samuelson,
running in her home town, had to run fast as she had a flight to catch, to
attend husband Scott's family reunion.The hand carved L.L. Bean trophys are
her objective.Her collection is missing very few years, as she rarely
misses this event.
Not only 8th overall, Samuelson was also the first Master, male or female
of the 538 finishers in one of Maine's largest races. Barry Fifield (36:04)
in 10th place, and Don Berney (36:07) in 11th place, matched Samuelson's
age of 40, but not quite her pace.
In the race for second place, Kevin Way (32:58) and Susannah Landreth
(37:48) beat out Michael Payson (33:41) and Juliet Shagoury
(39:55) respectively.
51 year old Guy Berthaiume continues to win every outing, relegating 56
year old Joel Croteau to second place in the Senior Division by more than a
minute. Croteau's run, however, was below the USATF Age Group guideline for
national ranking, as was 54 year old Gretchen Read's 41:35 and 46 year old
Carol Hogan's 41:54.
Many runners had a very difficult time in the 100% humidity making the
winning times all the more impressive. L.L. Bean did a fantastic job of
providing lots of water on the course, excellent organization and very
generous prizes three deep in every age group. In this race, a solid run
leads to a shopping spree at the world famous L.L. Bean Retail Store. No
one minds the hilly course and the absence of a PR with so much shopping to
look forward to! For most Mainers, the L.L. Bean 10K is the first part of
their family 4th of July tradition. For many youngsters with running
parents, this race marks the graduation from fun runs to the 10K, generally
with mom or dad more than willing to run along to share the experience.
Notable faces in the crowd included L.L.Bean CEO, Leon Gorman, 62,
finishing in a respectable 51:40, and Norm Gordon 1996 NCAA Track Coach of
the Year in from George Mason University in Virginia.
RESULTS (Overall): 1. Todd Coffin 32:16; 2. Kevin Way 32:58; 3. Michael
Payson 33:41; 4. Paul Johnson, Jr. 32:24; 5. Guy Segars 34:44; 6. Michael
Grigware 34:51; 7. Jamie Good 35:35; 8. Joan Samuelson 35:38; 9. Brian
Oichle 35:57; 10. Barry Fifield 36:04
10 & UNDER: 1. Jonathan Roy 50:50; 2. Nate Podgajny 55:19. 11-15: 1. Mathew
Cote 41:47; 2. Lance Stuart 47:10; 3. Delian Valeriani 49:05. 16-19: 1.Paul
Johnson Jr. 34:24; 2. Erik McCarthy 36:10; 3. Jared Moore 36:57. MASTERS:
1. Barry Fifield 36:04; 2. Don Berney 36:07; 3. Jim Toulouse 37:14 SENIORS:
1. Guy Berthaiume 37:03; 2. Joel Croteau 38:14; 3.Peter Davis 40:40 60-69:
1.Richard Cavanaugh 49:49; 2. Paul McCourt 50:23; 3. John LeRoy 50:42. 70+:
1. Russ Bradley 53:28; 2. Nelson Soule 1:07:27
WOMEN (Overall): 1.Joan Samuelson 35:38; 2. Susannah Landreth 37:48; 3.
Juliet Shagoury 39:55; 4. Christine Braceras 40:13;
5.Joy Palmer 40:52; 6. Marjorie Graff 41:14; 7. Terry Sutton 41:30; 8.
Gretchen Read 41:35; 9. Nancy Krum 41:50; 10. Carol Hogan 41:54 11-15: 1.
Molly Landreth 47:26; 2. Kendra Rinas 47:40; 3. Kala Hardacker 48:23.
16-19: 1.Laura Wilcox 44:24; 2. Lesley Benton 49:38; 3. Nadish Lincolin
50:54. MASTERS: 1. Joan Samuelson 35:38; 2. Carol Hogan 41:54; 3. Nancy
Kneeland 42:50
SENIORS: 1. Gretchen Read 41:35; 2. Carol Schreck 49:41; 3. Gail Reinertsen
49:45; 60-69: 1. Polly Kenniston 54:37; 2. Jean Thomas 56:43; 3. Ruth
Hefflefinger 1:16:00