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October 2007, Runners World |
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MDI Marathon Footage | Officials of the Mount Desert Island Marathon are pleased to announce the release of professionally recorded race footage filmed during the 2006 event, and the 2005 MARTHA television footage. This excellent film clip showcases the beauty of the award winning route during the actual 2006 race, and was made available by the generosity of the presenting sponsor, Red Lobster. |
| (August 21, 2008)
The Bar Harbor Times and its parent company, VillageNet Media, have been named the
official media sponsor of the 2008 MDI Marathon.
"We're delighted to be involved with the MDI Marathon again," said Greg Fish, editor
of the Bar Harbor Times. "Having local ownership here in Maine again, it seemed
natural for us to be involved with a premier locally grown event such as the MDI
Marathon. We see great new opportunities that are beneficial to both us and the
marathon when we get our new website running in the near future."
"Speaking on behalf of the marathon we are completely thrilled to work with the
Bar Harbor Times," said Gary Allen, the marathon's founder and director.
"By naming our first ever official media sponsor it will allow us to more easily
share regular and breaking information, including many new features about the race,
our competitors and all the related events that are planned for another
record-breaking marathon week."
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| (August 8, 2008) Bar Harbor's very own Bar Harbor Brewing Company has been officially named the new presenting sponsor of the Mount Desert Island Marathon, to be held Sunday October 19, 2008. "We are extremely pleased to be the presenting sponsor of the MDI Marathon," stated Andre Lozano, President of Bar Harbor Brewing Co. "The marathon has been known to extend our tourist season here in Bar Harbor, and we are proud to sponsor such a well-known race and event that brings together both locals and visitors from all over the world." Gary Allen, race founder called the partnership, "A perfect fit. By working together we can bring a lot of good to our entire island and the state of Maine." ... full press release. |
| (July 24, 2008) Mount Desert Island Marathon officials are pleased to announce that the special guest speaker this year's race will be Sheri Piers from Falmouth, Maine. She has distinguished herself as one of the best women's marathon runners in history from Maine, having qualified for and competed in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials held in Boston where she finished in 16th place overall in a personal best time of 2:38:46. A member of the Dirigo Racing Club, she recently appeared on the cover of New England Runner magazine. She will speak at the pre-race pasta dinner held to benefit the MDI Music Boosters. | 
Sheri Piers - 2008 Olmpic Trials |
| (June 30, 2008) Organizers of both the Sugarloaf Marathon and Mount Desert Island Marathon are pleased to announce the formation of the first race series in the state of Maine dedicated exclusively to marathon running. The first ever 'Maine Summit to Sea Marathon Series' will start in the spring at the 2009 Sugarloaf Marathon and conclude in the fall at the 2009 Mount Desert Island Marathon. Competitors will be scored on their combined times for both events. There will be awards in various age divisions as well as crowning the overall champions of this exciting series... full press release. |
| Organizers of the 2008 Mount Desert Island Marathon are pleased to announce that the starting field for the October 19th event is one step closer to being filled. As of July 21st there are fewer than 365 spots remaining in the official starting field. Competitors are currently registered from 47 US states, 5 Canadian provinces, the UK, Ireland and the Virgin Islands. The Mount Desert Island Marathon was the largest marathon held in the state of Maine in 2007 and is on pace to hold that important distinction again this year. Participants considering running MDI should sign up now, as the 1,000 entrant field is expected to fill to capacity shortly. Sign-up today! | 
2007 starting field |
| (June 17, 2008) Bar Harbor - The Mount Desert Island Marathon, voted 'Most Scenic in North America' by ESPN, has created a new relay division open only to Maine police and fire department members. The MDI Marathon - Police & Fire Pursuit will feature teams which consist of five officers or fire fighters from the around the state. Four members will run 6 miles each and then hand off to the next with the fifth member running 2.2 miles to the finish line. This friendly competition is loosely patterned after the popular tradition of NYPD and NYFD members who annually run in the New York City Marathon with bragging rights going to the winning departments. The MDI Marathon is issuing a challenge and invitation to all police and fire departments statewide. As an added incentive they will waive all entry fees for participating relay squads and are encouraging individual departments to launch fundraising campaigns around their teams participation to help support their various causes or other charitable work. MDI Marathon will provide pledge sheets to participating departments to assist with meeting individual departments fund raising goals. The winning police and fire departments will be crowned at the finish line. More information here. |
| (May 18, 2008) -
The race director and founder of the Mount Desert Island Marathon, Gary Allen, also a
member of Crow Athletics,
further distinguished himself as both an inventive race
director and as a fierce competitor at the 2008 Sugarloaf Marathon. Running in his
70th career marathon, Mr. Allen successfully logged his 53rd Sub 3 hour marathon at
age 51.
His time of 2:59:04 placed him in 12th overall and 2nd in the men's 50-54 division.
Mr. Allen ran his first marathon below three hours in July, 1978 in 2:52:41 at age 21.
Doing so 30 years later is a feat not many, or any can claim. Mr. Allen is believed
to be the first person in his home state of Maine to reach the incredible milestone
of running 50 sub 3 hour marathons in four separate decades (the 50th at age 50). Congratulations Gary!
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Gary Allen |
| (April 29, 2008) - Bar Harbor, Maine has been selected as one of the world's top 100 destinations by TripAdvisor members as part of their 2008 Traveler's Choice Destinations Awards. The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce was notified by TripAdvisor on April 29, 2008 that Bar Harbor placed 92nd overall in the world and was also selected as one of the top 25 destinations in the United States placing 16th... (full press relase) |
| (January 21, 2008) - The Mount Desert Island Marathon has officially teamed up with Maine Running Forum (MRF) to host the official forum for this year's event. Please take the time to create a MRF account and post your questions or comments concerning the MDI Marathon there. If you are a veteran of the race you may want to offer advice or share your own memories and pictures of the event. The forum features interactive photo albums, calendars, and more! | 
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| (October 2007) Southwest Harbor, ME -
The 6th edition of our event dawned with picture perfect weather for both serious
competitors and for those who merely hoped to finish our scenic and challenging
route. The peaking crimson, yellow, and orange fall foliage partnered with light
winds, slightly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 50s seemed custom ordered for
a truly memorable and spectacular day.
The 2007 Mount Desert Island Marathon, presented by Red Lobster, featured a large starting field representing 48 states, 4 Canadian provinces, and many countries abroad. Our special guest speaker and honorary race starter was Maine's treasured Olympic Marathon Champion, gold medalist, Joan Benoit Samuelson. As the starter's cannon echoed off lower Main Street in picturesque downtown Bar Harbor, "Mr. MDI Marathon", David Herr from Canaan, Vermont, assumed his place at the front of the field, holding off all challengers, and winning again for the fourth time in six attempts in a time of 2:37:44. (As if his mastery of our course needs to be further scrutinized, Mr. Herr has placed a convincing second in both of his other appearances at the MDI Marathon.) Andy Beardsley from Surry, Maine, who is a local Cross Country coach, placed second in 2:41:20. Home grown runner, and Bar Harbor's own Matt Frongillo placed a strong third in 2:41:47. In the ladies race, Judi Chiavetta from Arlington, Massachusetts, found herself locked in a fierce and stiff competition with 2006 champion Debbie Moreau of Turner, Maine, and two-time local champion Lara Judson, of Mt. Desert, Maine, who was victorious in both 2003 and 2005. Ms. Chiavetta took the lead near the half way mark and went on to win convincingly in the process recording a spectacular new course record in 3:04:42. She was followed by Ms. Moreau and Ms. Judson in 3:21:00 and 3:21:23 respectively. Meanwhile hundreds of marathoners ranging in age from 16 to 74 traversed
our postcard perfect towns and villages while enjoying many breathtaking seaside and
woodland vistas. When the day ended, the 2007 Mount Desert Island
was the largest marathon held in the state of Maine this year. The
event also featured many memorable moments including a wedding at the finish line
in quaint downtown Southwest Harbor; Janice Hensler and Richard Bignell from St.
Louis, Missouri, were married shortly after completing the course in 7:32:28. The happy
couple finished shortly after the honorable John Franklin Street, mayor of the great American city of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, who crossed the line in 7:23:04. In the first
ever Maine team competition, the host running club, Crow Athletics, was victorious and
crowned Maine state team marathon champions.  |
| (September 7, 2007) Friends of Acadia has announced that they will sponsor Island Explorer shuttle buses for MDI Marathon spectators, participants and the general public to ride free on marathon day, Sunday Oct 14. This is the fourth consecutive year FOA has partnered with the marathon. This service fits perfectly with FOA's continuing mission which is, to protect the outstanding natural beauty, ecological vitality, and cultural distinctiveness of Acadia National Park and the surrounding communities, as well as one of the goals of the MDI Marathon which is, to limit traffic and emissions on Mount Desert Island while encouraging healthy lifestyle choices. Bus service runs between Southwest Harbor and Bar Harbor only. A full schedule will be available soon. Visit: friendsofacadia.org for more information. | 
continuing sponsor |
click image to enlarge | (September 5, 2007) Emmaus, PA - The October issue of Runners World magazine has been delivered to subscribers and hit newsstands worldwide. In the latest edition the featured, Race of The Month is the Mount Desert Island Marathon. Nicknamed "Big Sur of the East" in the article (after the scenic California race by the same name), this exciting news will help move the showcase event one step closer to becoming a top international destination marathon. In the same magazine, the host club behind the marathon, Crow Athletics, has a separate article and photograph about the 'July 4th Around Mount Desert Island Relay' that the club also founded in 2002. Both of these articles will help propel participation tourism on Mount Desert Island to new heights and bring many thousands to enjoy our island hospitality. "It was always our club's vision and intention to bring big time running home to MDI, this kind of attention is obliviously priceless," commented Mary Ropp, editor of the popular Crow Athletics website and marketing director of the MDI Marathon. |
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email us | MDI Marathon, PO BOX 117 Northeast Harbor, Maine 04662 | 207.276.4226
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