Ask Tracy Guerrette to define herself as a runner, and she’s reluctant to be specific.
“I don’t know,” said the former three-sport standout at Wisdom High School in Saint Agatha and basketball player at the University of Maine. “I’m an old-timer, late-to-the-sport runner. Usually a lot of people start when they’re younger at the shorter distances and then work themselves up. You don’t want to start with a marathon too soon because you’ll lose your quickness, you lose those fast-twitch muscles.
“I’ve kind of done things backwards. I played team sports all my life and jumped into the marathon and the longer stuff just because I love running a lot. Now I’m working backwards and trying to do those shorter races throughout my buildup during the year to try to get faster.”
While the 37-year-old Guerrette’s most notable running accomplishments since resuming a full-steam approach to the discipline in 2014 may involve the 26.2-mile marathon distance — she was the first Maine woman and 25th among 13,391 women overall at this year’s Boston Marathon — much shorter races also are of particular interest.
At the top of that list is Saturday’s TD Beach to Beacon 10K, the world-class event established by 1984 Olympic marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit-Samuelson in her hometown of Cape Elizabeth.
And while Guerrette doesn’t figure to challenge the best competitors in a world-class field that is set to include U.S. Olympian Molly Huddle, she is likely to contend in one of the races within the race, the battle for top Maine resident runner.
Guerrette was third among Maine women last year with a personal-best time for the 6.2-mile distance of 36 minutes, 43 seconds. It was a finish that further motivated her for this year’s race.
“It’s a great race, an epic, historic race with some of the best athletes from around the world,” Guerrette said. “It’s almost like a mini-Boston Marathon with 6,000 to 7,000 runners.
“My friends and I joke around that it’s the Maine state championship for running.”
Two-time winner Michelle Lilienthal of Portland, who holds the Maine women’s course record of 33:39 in 2014 and also won in 2016, looms as the favorite again this year. Defending Maine champion Emily Durgin now lives in Massachusetts and is no longer eligible for the state title.
Other contenders include Falmouth veteran Sheri Piers, a three-time Maine women’s champion and former course record holder in the division; two-time winner Erica Jesseman of Scarborough; and Taylor Bickford of Limington, who placed fifth last year.
While Guerrette’s overarching running goal is to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, the Beach to Beacon has been the focus of her training since recovering from the Boston Marathon.
“I think naturally with my build I’m more of a long-distance runner so the marathon fits me well,” she said, “but I really do enjoy these shorter races. It just changes things up and makes you run faster. The 10K distance is fun, you’re going as hard as you can for six miles and just trying to maintain that threshold. I find it almost as painful, probably more painful, than running a marathon.”
Guerrette has run numerous races at shorter distances throughout the summer, part of a strategy developed by her coach, veteran distance runner Rob Gomez of Windham.
“I definitely believe I’m faster and more fit than I was (for the Beach to Beacon) last year,” said Guerrette, who plans to turn her training focus to preparing for a fall marathon next week.
Orach, Gomez among men contenders
Two of Guerrette’s teammates with the Dirigo running club, Gomez and Jesse Orach of Gorham, are among the returning favorites in the Maine resident men’s field after combining for an epic finish last year.
Orach was approaching the finish line as the top Maine man when he became overcome by heat stroke and fell, only to aided by Gomez, who helped Orach up and held him before nudging Orach across the finish line first.
Orach will attempt to become the first three-time Maine men’s champion and Gomez seeks his first in-state title.
Other contenders in the Maine men’s field include 2015 race champion Ben Decker of Falmouth and Ryan Smith of Farmington, who won the L.L. Bean 10K earlier this month in Freeport.
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