CHS teacher takes first place in marathon

15 years ago

By Joseph Cyr
Sports Editor

CARIBOU — Evan Graves of Caribou, a physical education teacher at Caribou High School, was the winner of the Manchester City Marathon in New Hampshire Nov. 7. Out of a field of 496 participants, Graves finished the 26.2-mile course in a time of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 39 seconds. He finished 2 minutes, 33 seconds ahead of runner-up Scott Rowe of Dover, N.H.

Graves, 29, is a native of Bar Harbor and a graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, where he was a cross country running standout for the Owls. He is a former physical education teacher for the Easton School Department.

The race marked Graves’ 10th marathon and his first victory. His previous best finishes were two third-place efforts – in Philadelphia in 2008 (with a personal best time of 2:24.26) and last fall at the Hartford Marathon.

“I had raced the half marathon two years ago, so I was somewhat familiar with the course,” Graves said. “The running conditions were perfect for a marathon. The temperature was in the high 30s to the low 40s. It was very conducive to good running. The wind got bad around miles 12-18, but it wasn’t unbearable.”

The course, according to Graves, was hilly for the first half. Since he was familiar with this portion of the course, Graves said he ran conservatively in the first half of the race.

“I felt comfortable going into the second half,” he said. “I was in second place until mile 19, when I took over the lead. I felt strong and new over the second half of the race that I was gaining on the leader. The second half of the race had some good hills, but some forgiving down hills. The race is noted for being a tough course and that, in my belief, is the way a marathon should be!”

Graves added while he was happy with the win, he entered the race with the feeling that he would not be able to post a personal best time.

“It was a long training cycle with a few nagging injuries, so my fitness level wasn’t where it could have been,” he said. “I went into the race with realistic goals and ran just what I wanted to run and that was what I could run on that day!”

His pre-race goals were to finish the race and to finish under 2 hours and 30 minutes.

“Overall I was happy and look forward to what will come next,” he said. “I am not really sure what that will be at this point! I have been very fortunate to stay healthy and really appreciate the support of the Aroostook Musterds running club and its members. The local running club of Aroostook County has a lot of great history with a number of excellent runners.”

He added Brooks running company has been a great support for him and his running and has given him many great opportunities over the last few years.

“They have even stepped up and helped support a few fundraisers in the community that I have participated in,” he said. “Also Powerbar has been a great addition to my nutrition plan and has also helped out with the local running community in a few ways.”