L.L. BEAN 4th of JULY 10K,
Freeport, ME
July 4 1997
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 trophies 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