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| Contributed photo/Leo Kashian Andreas Fleury is this year’s recipient of the Aroostook Musterds Running Club’s runner of the year. Originally from Argentina, Fleury is a surgeon at Cary Medical Center. Making the presentation are Chris Smith, left, and P.J. Gorneault. |
PRESQUE ISLE — The Aroostook Musterds Running Club held its annual awards banquet on Nov. 16 at the Northeastland Hotel, marking the 31st time area runners have been recognized for County Challenge Series accomplishments.
This year, the evening began with a social hour and was followed by a catered dinner and presentation of awards. Annually, the club tracks participation and race success in male and female age groups as well as overall racing categories. The event was capped off with the recognition of the Aroostook Musterd Runner of the Year, the recipient being chosen by running peers within the club.
The County Challenge consists of seven races, which are held in Houlton (Wild Katahdin Trust Snow Run), Presque Isle (UMPI Spring Runoff), Fort Fairfield (Potato Blossom 5-Miler), Island Falls (County Open Half-Marathon), and Caribou (S.W. Collins 5K, Mûsterd Mile and the Caribou Labor Day Road Race).
Participation awards were earned by 19 runners, including Jeff Ashby, the only runner to complete all seven races, as well as Chris Rines, Thomas Beckum, Tyler Strid and Kim Wright (six races); Leo Kashian, Brent Bailey and Craig Dubay (five races); and P.J. Gorneault, Spencer McElwain, Evan Graves, Tyler Levesque, Steve Desmond, Jeff Irving, Ron Losieniecki, Shawn Laferriere, Mike Saucier, Angela Ewings and Rene Gorneault (four races).
Women’s age group winners were: 30-39, Rene Gorneault; 40-49, Ewings; and 50-59, Wright. Men’s winners were: 15 and under: first, Strid; and second, Levesque; 19-29: first, Rines; second, McElwain; 30-39: first, Beckum; second, Graves; third, Desmond; 40-49: first, Ashby; second, Irving; and third, Rob Losieniecki; 50-59: first, Kashian; and second, Bailey.
The series women’s winner was Wright, who resides in Mapleton and totaled 50 points for her first title. She was 23 points better than Ewings for the top spot. Gorneault, of Caribou, earned his third championship on the strength of four victories. McElwain was second, only four points back, with the difference being his second-place finishes to Gorneault in their two head-to-head encounters.
Andres Fleury of Caribou earned the prestigious Runner of the Year award for his versatile running in distances ranging from 3,000 meters through the ultra distances. Fleury ran the Grasslands Ultra 50-Miler, the Pinelands Farm Ultra 50-Miler and the Trans Rockies Ultra Run, a six-day, 120-mile run in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with a 20,000-foot elevation gain.
Additionally, Fleury ran successfully in many shorter races, thus showing his strength over the broad spectrum of race offerings. He now is listed amongst the County’s top runners over the last 31 years, a list that included Conrad Walton, Katie Martin, Bob Everett and Ewings.
The Aroostook Musterds club now moves into the planning phase for the 32nd County Challenge Series, which begins in February in Houlton. Club officers met Saturday to begin the process.
