CARIBOU — Organizers of the Caribou Marathon races, to be held in September as a precursor of the Boston Marathon, recently announced the supporter sponsors.
Events on race day, Sunday, Sept. 18, will include a full marathon, half marathon, a relay race of each length, and a kids’ run.
Supporter sponsors include Hannaford, CS Management, Anthem Blue Cross, Duncan Graves and Lancaster Morgan, Hebert Rexall Pharmacy Inc., Mike’s Quick Stop, Guerrette Sales, Burger Boy, S.W. Collins Company, Soderberg Construction Company, Wight’s Sporting Goods, David A. Smith DMD, Sub5 Race Management, Competitor ME, ColdPruf Base Layer, SmartWool, and Powers Roofing and Sheet Metal.
More than 300 athletes are currently registered for the event, along with 100 volunteers and a team of committee members dedicated to preparing this year’s event schedule, hoping to make the Caribou races a success and one of the largest events Aroostook County has ever seen.
Event Coordinator for the City of Caribou, Lydia Kieffer, said the excitement for the Caribou Races is growing exponentially.
“Every day I’m answering calls and emails from athletes all over the country and Canada,” she said. “My office is filling with race bags, banners, T-shirts, etc. The Caribou Races will be a fun way to showcase our gorgeous scenery and quaint towns.
“The ultimate goal is to encourage the City of Caribou and all of Aroostook County to be so welcoming that these visitors want to come back again and again,” Kieffer said.
Sam Collins, President of S.W. Collins Company, one of this year’s event sponsors, said, “We are excited to be a sponsor of the first Caribou Marathon. Our running community has a tradition of superior runners who compete at the highest levels in races throughout New England, and Caribou is the perfect setting for running a marathon.
“The large number of local individuals that have dedicated themselves to preparing for the Marathon may be the greatest unforeseen benefit to the health of the community,” said Collinis. “With the fall foliage, crisp clean air and the rolling terrain, there is no better place to get fit, stay fit and compete in a marathon than Caribou, Maine.”
Other supporter sponsors such as Soderberg Construction Company are forming employee teams for the relay races. There will be a full marathon relay and a half marathon relay, either of which can be walked, jogged or run. The events cater to all abilities and both relays have great prizes for the top three teams provided by ColdPruf Base Layer and SmartWool.
Registration is filling up fast. Race registration is open until Sept. 1.
The marathon’s official website, caribouraces.com, has detailed information on each race, hotels and restaurants in the area, how to sign up to be an exposition or street vendor and more.
