Wrap-up meeting to gather feedback is tomorrow night
By Lydia Kieffer-Till
CARIBOU, Maine — The Caribou Marathon, Half Marathon, Handcycle Races, Relay Races and Kids Marathon took place recently bringing commerce and participants from all over the country to Aroostook County.
What an event it was as 450 athletes from all over the country and Canada signed up to run the tough course and we’ve heard nothing but positive feedback. The runners, and walkers, are raving about the community involvement, the number of spectators along the course; the businesses, especially hotels and restaurants, saw a boost in business over the race weekend, and everyone is talking about what a positive thing it is for Aroostook County.
That’s right, 450 athletes attended one event in Caribou, Maine, whose own population is about 8,500. There were runners from 16 different states and three Canadian provinces including runners from California, New Mexico, British Columbia, Florida, Montana, Tennessee, etc. The runners, walkers and joggers had the choice to run the full marathon, a handcycle marathon, a half marathon, a handcycle half marathon, relay races of each distance or a kids’ race.
Aside from the runners, the city also hosted a street festival during the races. This attracted locals who would not otherwise have come out to the running events. The street festival featured two live bands that played throughout the day and there were over 60 food and craft vendors in attendance.
Race awards were given to the top athletes of each race and winners of several age categories, as well as the top three “County” runners in each race. The top marathon finishers each won $500 cash and various articles of clothing, as well a painting done by, local artist, Martin Gallant. This year we had one handcyclist in each the full and the half marathon.
It’s a group effort to put on such events. “The City has many departments and each and every one of them played a role in getting this event off the ground; They were a vital part in planning, organizing and going forward with the marathon, as they will be again in future years. But truly the bread and butter of this event was the Caribou Marathon Race Committee. The committee met on a regular basis for months going through each detail about the event and planning each aspect from the spaghetti supper to the race medal design; we could not have done it without them”.
Sponsors were also a large part in the event’s success. We had a number of sponsors and they were all willing to help out in any way they could. Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services, the event’s Platinum sponsor, were involved in part of the event planning, “goodie bag” stuffing, helping with registration, and they brought more than 30 employee volunteers on race day! Additional sponsors provided support in a variety of ways including advertising, hiring music to play along the running route, and of course, volunteering.
The Caribou Race committee would like to thank all of the sponsors and volunteers who made this event possible. We would also like to receive your feedback. There will be a pizza party for all sponsors and volunteers who played a role in the Caribou races on Thursday, October 6th from 5-7 p.m. at the Caribou Wellness Center. Volunteers and sponsors are the eyes and ears of the race and everyone sees things differently; please feel free to stop by and give us your feedback at that time!
With events like the Caribou Marathon, the Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race, Thursdays on Sweden Street, the Crown Of Maine Balloon Festival and the World Cup Biathlon, it’s easy to see Aroostook County is stepping it up in the event world. There is now more to do, more to see and more reasons to live, work and play in northern Maine.
Lydia Kieffer-Till is the marketing and event coordinator for the city of Caribou.
