CARIBOU, Maine — Hundreds came out to support runners in the Sept. 17 Caribou Marathon. Onlookers stood by the finish line in front of the Recreation Center and encouraged racers to make their final push for the last few hundred feet of the race.
Some fans even made signs to support family and friends running the marathon, marathon relay, half marathon, half marathon relay, or kids fun run, which were all organized in support of the main event.
Sandi Bouchard, along with Kristi and Jim Bell, made signs to support team “Party on the Run,” which consisted of their family members participating in the half marathon relay.
Bouchard, whose granddaughter Kaylee Bell was part of the team, said she thought the second annual marathon was an awesome opportunity for the city of Caribou.
Kristi and Jim Bell were on hand to support their son Jamie Bell, Kaylee’s father.
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- Caribou Marathon spectators, from left, Kristi Bell, Jim Bell, and Sandi Bouchard, made signs to support family members participating in the relay team “Party on the Run.” (Christopher Bouchard)
Bouchard said that the family came out last year as well and that they are all from Caribou. Jim Bell said he was supportive of the race, as it brings people into The County.
Bouchard and the Bells held colorful signs saying “Let’s Go! Party on the Run” with images of shoes, balloons, and party hats to coincide with the team’s name.
Spectators who made signs were eligible to win a $100 Visa gift card from the City of Caribou if they posted a picture of their creation on the Run Caribou Facebook page.
“From our survey last year, we found that a lot of runners really liked the community support,” said Caribou Marketing and Events Coordinator Christina Kane-Gibson. “So we thought, why not put them out for people to see? So we decided to have a contest where the person with the most likes on our Facebook page gets a $100 gift card.”
City officials announced via the “RUN Caribou” Facebook page late Monday that Diane Gove won the sign contest with a total of 61 likes.
“Congratulations and thank you to everyone who came out and showed their support,” the post read. “These signs are all awesome!”
In addition to the big crowd, scores of volunteers helped with numerous aspects of the race, such as providing water to runners and ensuring racers went the right way at critical junctures.
Gibson said she ordered 200 volunteer shirts for the event and only has “a few left.”
Members of Caribou’s municipal departments also helped with the marathon. Police guided traffic. Public works crews set up barricades and cones. Parks and recreation employees helped coordinate a show with music at the recreation center.
“The fire department is here, along with EMS, Cary Medical Center, and Pines Health Services,” Gibson said. “There is lots of community and business support. This is really an amazing event; it brings people together.”
Gibson added that Cary Medical and Pines Health were platinum sponsors of the event. Both organizations donated $10,000 to support the Sunday race.
De’Angela Cyr of Pines Health Services participated in a full marathon relay with a team of seven other Pines employees, and said the “race was amazing.”
“The energy here is amazing,” Cyr said. “It keeps everyone going, and the people on the sidelines are perfect for runners, sometimes you need an extra boost when you’re running.”
Cyr said this year’s course was an improvement over last year’s, which “had a lot of tough hills at the end.”
“Everyone seems to be doing really well with the course this year,” Cyr said, adding that she would “absolutely” participate in a marathon next year.
