MILLINOCKET, Maine — Thousands of runners braved the cold of northern Maine on Saturday morning to take part in what has become one of the state’s most popular races.
It’s known as the Millinocket Marathon and Half, and this year marks the event’s 10th anniversary.
Organizers said this year is officially the biggest in its history, with more than 3,200 registered runners from nearly 40 states.
“I have a customer who works up in Bangor and she said, ‘I feel like you’re the right kind of crazy to do this with me,’ and I said ‘all right, let’s go,’” said Sarah Hill, a runner from Boston, Massachusetts.
Gary Allen, the founder and race director of the Millinocket Marathon, said he started the marathon in 2015 as a way to help out the community after the town’s paper mill shut down.
“When that went down, it really hurt things up here,” Allen said. “We started this marathon just as an idea to see if we could help, and it turned into this. So, it feels amazing.”
The race is free, but runners are encouraged to stick around and spend their money locally.
“We wanted to empower the participants,” Allen said. “So, we made it free, and we told them to just come. We’ll do the bare bones of what a race should be, and you guys spend money in town. That’s the founding part of it, and it really seems to have worked.”
It’s a routine that shops have come to rely on during what would otherwise be a slow time for business.
“It helps us get through the quiet season until the next busy season,” said Kristi Davis, co-owner of Millinocket Floral & Gift. “Because that’s what it is here. It’s ups and downs, it’s tourists, it’s people that stop by on their way through town. It’s fairly quiet in the wintertime, so this just really helps.”
Millinocket Floral & Gift provides the crowns and the bouquets for the race winners, and Davis said race day has become one of their biggest days for business.
“You’ve got Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and things like that,” Davis said. “But this makes it feel like the town used to be with a lot of people.”
And runners Spectrum News spoke with Saturday said they are more than happy to support the town.
“[I’m] staying in the area and buying things from the vendors that are here,” said Scott Frasca, a runner from Sidney. “I ordered some shirts to pick up afterwards and a print from one of the local supply people here in town, [I’m] eating here in town.”
The Maine Sports Commission estimated the race contributes millions to the region, organizers said.
“The Maine Sports Commission did some calculations for us,” Allen said. “And they determined that these runners leave over $3.2 million of economic income into the Katahdin region.”
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