For most high school runners, the conclusion of the spring track and field season signals the start of summer training for cross country, whether it be at the high school or college level.
As always, there are plenty of running camps throughout the state for runners to attend, including a new one on Mount Desert Island.
MDI running clubs Crow and Eden Athletics, along with Saucony, will collaborate to host the first Acadian Running Camp for high school students, July 26-29 at Smuggler’s Den Campground on MDI, which will give runners four days of training on Acadia National Park’s vast carriage trails.
The camp’s co-directors have impressive running resumes. O.J. Logue, a recent inductee into the Maine Running Hall of Fame, holds a marathon personal-best time of 2 hours, 26 minutes and was a two-time member of the U.S. Deaf Olympic Track and Field team. He’s currently the associate dean at the University of Maine’s College of Education and Human Development.
His co-director is one of Maine’s premier road runners, Bar Harbor native Judson Cake, who holds several course records in various distances throughout the state and is an eight-time marathon winner with a PR of 2:23. The 2005 Maine Runner of the Year by “New England Magazine,” Cake once trained at ZAP Fitness in North Carolina.
The camp will also include many special guests. They include MDI cross country coach Kate Goupee, who had a stellar career at Brewer High School and the University of Maine at Farmington and Riley Masters, who had an outstanding freshman campaign at UMaine after helping lead Bangor High to indoor and outdoor track state championships as a junior. He earned America East Rookie of the Year honors in track and field this spring.
Other guest instructors include Bangor girls cross country coach Pattie Craig, former UMaine distance runner and Saucony vice president Pat O’Malley, former Ellsworth High stars Joey Luchini and Eric Rudolph and their high school coach, Andy Beardsley, a top Masters division runner, former University of Southern Maine runner Elizabeth Brunton, an assistant coach at Ellsworth, and Desiree Sirois, an MDI assistant who is also that school’s physical education teacher.
The camp is open to students entering grades 9-12, and all levels of runners are encouraged to attend as they will be divided into training groups based on fitness level.
In addition to running, the camp will include lectures about the importance of good nutrition, racing philosophy and the transition between high school and college competition. Non-running activities will include miniature golf at Pirates Cove, swimming at Echo Lake and Sand Beach and shopping in downtown Bar Harbor.
Campers should bring a sleeping bag, pillow and sleeping pad, running gear (i.e. sneakers, socks, shorts, a watch), casual clothing, such as a bathing suit, sweatshirts, towels and toiletries, sunscreen and spending money.
Only 30 slots are available for the camp. The cost is $200.
Since Saucony is a major sponsor of the camp, the shoe company is allowing each camper to choose a pair of racing flats which will be custom ordered upon acceptance to camp.
Those seeking more information may e-mail Logue at ojlogue@gmail.com
Locals head to NON
The high school season is not yet complete for a select group of Maine track stars, who will head to Greensboro, N.C., for the Nike Outdoor Nationals, which kick off today and run through Saturday.
Bonny Eagle of Buxton freshman Emily Durgin is entered in two events, the open girls 5,000 meters and the freshman girls’ mile.
Classmate Abbey Leonardi of Kennebunk, who at last weekend’s New England championships ran the fastest 1,600 in Maine history (4:54.14), will compete in the mile.
Other entries on the girls’ side are Hannah Saunders of Caribou in the 1-mile race walk. She holds PVC and Class B state records in the 1,600 race walk, and Keila Grigware of Biddeford, the New England champion in the javelin.
On the boys’ side, four boys will compete in the 1-mile racewalk: Duncan Flynn and Jared Sleeper of Caribou, Levi Johnson of Waterville and Austin Michaud of Hampden Academy.
Cony of Augusta’s Luke Fontaine is entered in the mile in the Emerging Elite division, while Greely of Cumberland Center’s Mark McCauley will run in the same class in the 800.
The only other Maine boy entered is Lewiston’s Josh Pelletier in the javelin.
rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net
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