Ashby, Mulcahy win marathon

The finish line on Lubec's Water Street was crowded as 589 runners completed the three different races conducted by the third annual Bay of Fundy International Marathon on June 28. An army of approximately 250 volunteers, along with a year of planning, made the event happen. Predicted rains held off until later in the day, and the mid‑50s temperatures were "pretty close to ideal," according to race director John Hough. Competitors included 204 finishers in the "Boston qualifier" full marathon, 246 in the half‑marathon and 139 in the 10‑kilometer event.
The performance of Sarah Mulcahy, 29, of Baring Plantation was the big news of the 26.2-mile event. Mulcahy set the course record for women in 2013 at 3:16:12, then sat out the 2014 race because of pregnancy. This year she came roaring back, shattering her own record by coming in at 2:59:17. This put her fifth overall and better than a half‑hour ahead of the second place woman, Alicia Eno of Worcester, Mass., who clocked in at a creditable 3:30:59 and placed 20th overall.
"Going in, I had three goals," Mulcahy says. "I wanted to beat the course record, I wanted to beat my personal record and I wanted to come in sub‑30." She points out that the hills, particularly in the northern stretches of Campobello, have given this race a reputation for being tough, and that made establishing personal records even more daunting. Asked what it felt like coming over the top of the bridge knowing that nobody was nearby, she says, "When I heard people yelling my name, it was an instant adrenaline rush."
Mulcahy says this was her seventh marathon, and she is planning on returning next year when she will again be entitled to bib number 1. She is also involved in setting up and conducting the Ghost Run Half Marathon, sponsored by Washington County Community College, set for October 25.
Robert Ashby of Brunswick, overall marathon winner, came in at 2:46:43. Ashby, who grew up in Eastport and is a Shead High School graduate, failed to beat the course record of 2:40:51, set by New York's William Guzick during the marathon's first running in 2013. Second place was taken by Andrew Messenger of Newton, Mass., at 2:56:11, while Ron Peck of Waterville placed fourth at 2:57:48. Peck was last year's winner at 3:02:11. Full race results are available at <bayoffundymarathon.com>.
"This race has the small‑town flavor," says third‑place winner Jonathan Corso from Decatur, Ga., son of Lubec residents Dennis and Janice Corso, who finished at 2:56:56. Speaking of the volunteers, Corso says, "People out there care about what they're doing. That's why you get so many repeat runners." This sentiment was often heard at the water stations, where runners frequently thanked volunteers for helping out. Last year's flamboyant water station theme parks were largely absent, due to concerns over threatened rain.
New for this year was the Bay of Fundy half‑marathon, which covered 16.1 miles split between Lubec and Campobello and partially snaking through the town streets. Adelaine Carten and her mother Daphne of Campobello completed the half this year instead of the full marathon as in the past, with brother Sawyer completing the marathon. Sawyer Carten, running the marathon for the first time, placed 60th overall but first in the 1B19 age category. All four in that category hailed from Campobello, and Sawyer beat second‑in‑category Kaden Estabrooks by 10 seconds, finishing at 4:00:49. "This way we can still talk when we're done," quips Daphne, when asked whether mother and daughter planned on returning to the longer race in 2016.
First place in the half-marathon was taken by Scott Proulx from Northborough, Mass., at 1:23:01, with spouse Megan taking fourth place C and first in the women's division C at 1:33:45. Garrett Trubey of Brunswick took second at 1:29:02, while Albert Wong of Markham, Ont., took third at 1:31:45. Fifth place, and second place woman, was taken by Stephanie Barry‑Benedik from Hunter River, P.E.I., at 1:33:59.
All three races started at West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, where first the Canadian national anthem, then the American national anthem, were sung by Holly Weaver and Emma Page, respectively. Runners in both the full and half marathons crossed the bridge twice, with their passage pre‑approved by border officials and verified electronically by chips embedded in the numbered bib worn by each competitor.
The weather cooperated by holding off on the rain until 9:15 a.m., saving the heaviest downpours for the late afternoon when the course had been cleared. According to Hough, the cool weather brought out a few cases of hypothermia, keeping the medical staff busy.
When asked about the level of the competition, Hough points out that many of the "regional elite" runners participate, as well as some from farther away. Most of the runners, Hough says, he would characterize as "serious recreational." Many of the bigger races include significant cash prizes for top winners, luring the international elite runners onto the field.
Next year's event is set for June 26. An additional event is under consideration, according to Hough: a 50‑kilometer ultramarathon.