Tag Archives: Tim Poitras

July 4, 2023 · 4:51 pm

Eric Ashe/Taylor Bickford win 47th annual Bridgton 4 on the Fourth

(Bridgton ME) It didn’t rain but was it humid.

Today’s repeat winner (Eric Ashe) complained about the humidity as did every runner I talked to.

“It was a tough day to run fast,” said Eric afterwards.

If it was tough for him, imagine how it was for the rest of the field trailing him!

“One fellow took the first half mile a little quick,” recalled Eric. “I caught him around a half mile and tried to stay strong up and down the hills the rest of the way.”

Eric finished the course in 20:45. Scott Mindel was second (21:19) and Tim Poitras third (21:32).

The most excited post-race runner may well have been female-division winner Taylor Bickford of Portland.

Why?

Let Taylor explain it: “This was my first time breaking the tape ever. I’ve run a lot of races in Maine and some marathons, but this was the first time I’ve ever won a race.”

Taylor admitted afterwards that she didn’t know the course very well but that she had heard about it.

Taylor Bickford and Abby Bennett (1029 – 2nd place)

“I started the race a little conservative because everyone had me worried about the hills,” she said. “Then I realized that I could pass a lot of people on the downhills so I kind of let it go.”

“I kept the first female in front of me for the first two miles,” she added, “after I passed her, I knew I was the first one.”

Scott Mindel finished second for the second straight year.

“Some kid took it out really fast and it was faster than I wanted,” said Scott. “I didn’t have as much left as I had the year before because of that start and the humidity. I soon realized that I needed to compete for the place rather than the time.”

Tim Poitras entered the race hoping to improve on his 4^th place finish two years ago.

“I knew that Eric and Scott would be running the race,” said Tim.

“After Eric pulled away, I stuck with Scott,” added Tim. “I was pushing the uphills and he was pushing the downhills.”

The humidity eventually got to Tim. “It was such that I felt as if I was swimming,” he said. “I started to look behind me a few times to make sure I got third.”

Good crowd with plenty of enthusiasm.

Dave Albert of Fryeburg is the master of the National Anthem.

Sasha Mindel came in second last year but didn’t race this year. “She has been sick the last few nights,” explained her husband Scott. “My son did run the kid’s race. It’s always a fun weekend up here.”

Both Scott and Eric ran in Grandma’s Marathon on June 17^th in Duluth, Minnesota. “Eric was shooting for Olympic Trials time but didn’t finish,” recalled Scott.

Taylor Bickford: “I grew up in Limington and now live in Portland. I am a strategy project manager at New Balance in Boston, so I commute to work. I am planning to do the Beach-to-Beacon.”

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Filed under Bridgton, Bridgton 4 on the Fourth

Tagged as 2012 Bridgton 4 on the 4th, Bridgton 4 on the Fourth, Eric Ashe, Scott Mindel, Taylor Bickford, Tim Poitras

August 4, 2021 · 7:35 pm

Chris Alfond and Betsy Suda win YH 5K

(Newburyport MA) The Yankee Homecoming 5K was back Tuesday night and the weather was fabulous.

The runners are on their way in the 61st edition of the YH 5K

After Covid-19 turned the popular event to virtual last year, the sixty-first edition was highly anticipated.

The 5K is usually combined with a ten-mile race but time constraints did that race in.

That fact put everyone who wanted a Tuesday night of racing through scenic downtown Newburyport into the 5K. And there were 1437 participants.

Highly successful, long-distance runner Ruben Sanca announced days prior to the race that he would be in the 5K and hoped to break the course record (14:37). Matthew Ely set the record back in 1999.

But as it turned out tonight, Ruben not only didn’t set the record, but he also didn’t even win.

The winner was Chris Alfond who finished at 14:38.

Where was Ruben?

“I’ve been pretty sick the last couple of days,” he explained afterwards. “I was tested Saturday and it wasn’t Covid, but I missed running three of the last four days.”

Ruben, who ran for Cape Verde in the 2012 London Olympics in the 5000 meters, took second but trailed Chris by over forty seconds.

“I had trouble even from Mile One breathing,” said Ruben, “I was really congested.”

“I didn’t try to keep up with the winner after he opened up a gap,” added Ruben. “If I had done that I wasn’t going to be able to finish. I just tried to maintain position after 1 ½ miles since I was already in the top three.”

It makes you wonder what we would have seen if Chris and a healthy Ruben had gone head-to-head Tuesday night. I’m guessing that the 5K record would have belonged to someone else other than Matthew Ely after the race.

Betsy Suda won the female side of the race for the third time. Last two times were in 2009 and 2010. Betsy was second in 2019.

“I wasn’t near my best time,” said Betsy. “I just wanted to compete and do my best. I feel like I did that.”

“There was another woman (Olivia Sheffield) who was pretty close,” added Betsy. “I always try to picture someone close.”

Olivia finished at 19:12 which was twenty seconds after Betsy.

Waiting for the race to start on a beautiful night

The weather (76 degrees) was perfect at the 6PM start. I’ve covered this race many times and often in the past the heat has been an issue. Not tonight.

Chris Alfond (23 years old) said afterwards that he was aware that Ruben was in the race and was intent on setting a new record. Chris thought that they could work together to accomplish it. But not tonight.

Betsy Suda lives in Gainesville (FL) but comes north in the summer. Can’t blame her on that one! “When I’m in Florida I run with a group of women out of the University of Florida,” said Betsy.

Betsy is thirty-nine and said that she has run this race every year since she was thirteen. “This race was a lot of fun,” she said, “it’s nice to be here.”

“It was good to see everyone back for Homecoming,” added Ruben.

Ruben probably shouldn’t have run the race. “This race is so local (he lives in Salisbury) that I wanted to take part in it,” he said.

Plenty of folks watched in downtown around Market Square. “The crowd was great downtown,” said Betsy. “It may not have been as big as other years, but it was definitely as loud.”

My attention was caught with the common thread among eight of the top nine men finishers.

With the exception of Steve Dowsett (8^th), every other runner is connected to the UMass Lowell River Hawks. Every one of them!

They didn’t all attend UMass Lowell at the same time, but Chris Alfond wasn’t kidding when he told the NDN, “I brought a bunch of my UMass Lowell teammates with me so we could have a good time together.”

Chris is a graduate student while Ruben graduated in 2010.

The others with UMass Lowell connections: Ben Pare (3^rd), Tim Poitras (4^th), Joseph Walsh (5^th), Cody Moran (6^th), Justin Carbine (7^th), and Liam Kimball (9^th).

Crowd starts to gather for the start of the race

And now you know, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story!

Runners came in a wide variety of age groups and training levels. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I have great admiration for those who push baby carriages the entire length. However, with the recently paved road on High Street in front of Newburyport High School, it may not have been quite as difficult as in previous years.

A great source for the results is “ATH.LINKS”

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Waiting in front of Newburyport High School

Jonathan and dad Jason Everett of Amesbury before race

Hannah Rafferty (401 – Newburyport) and Ava Herrera (444 – Rowley)

Michael O’Connor (592 – Newburyport), Pamela Kipp (1417 – Newburyport), Ethan Jason (142 – Newburyport)

Bradley Bauer (571), Evan O’Brien (1232 – Newburyport), Antonio Espinola (439 – Dracut)

Winner Chris Alfond makes the final turn

Ryan Smith wins the 43rd Bridgton 4 on the Fourth

Start of the Bridgton 4 on the Fourth

Ryan Smith (2019) takes first in the 2019 Bridgton 4 on the Fourth

Ryan Smith and second-place finisher Moninda Marube

(Bridgton ME) How did they know?

Racing bibs are handed out randomly for the Bridgton 4 on the Fourth, aren’t they?

Then how did this year’s winner (Ryan Smith) end up with “2019?”

But that’s what happened as Ryan won the 43^rd edition of the Bridgton 4^th…..in 2019.

Ryan (20:16), from Farmington, left the start in a hurry and won easily.

“I took the lead from the front,” Ryan (24) told me afterwards. “There were people behind me for probably the first 1 ½ miles. I heard footsteps. After that I kind of pulled away on the hills.”

Dom Sclafani, who came in 7^th, was one of those chasing Ryan early. “I was with the leader for the first half mile. Then he picked it up a lot.”

That fast start cost Dom later: “My first mile was well under five minutes. I went too fast early. I was looking for 5:10 and I ran 4:55.”

Winner Mary Pardi with race director Bill Graham

Mary Pardi (24:36) had an easy time of it in the women’s division. “I am in really good shape,” the 49-year-old said. “I had the lead from the start. I knew that I needed to stay strong in the second mile because it’s all uphill. The third mile is tough, and the fourth mile is beautiful. My final mile was 5:52.”

Amanda Dearborn (26:10) from Chicago finished second.

Last year’s winner, Moninda Marube, from Auburn (ME) came across second.

Moninda (20:53) had run against Ryan Smith before: “He’s a young guy, full of energy.”

“I did not try to run with him,” Moninda said. “I had a race plan and that is what I stuck with. I did not necessarily come here to win. I came here to reach a target preparing for the Maine Marathon.”

Moninda (41) has won the Bridgton 4^th four times. “I love racing this race,” he smiled. “I love the people. This race is as well run as any I race in.”

“It’s my birthday,” he laughed. “What better place to celebrate it?”

Tim Poitras (5th)

Tim Poitras (Dracut MA) crossed fifth and came about as close as you want to get to not even getting into the race. “I got the last number (2057),” he said smiling. “I found out about the race Tuesday. It was 7:55PM and the entries closed at 8PM. I quickly signed up and got the confirmation at 7:59!”

Tim (graduate of UMass Lowell in 2018)) said that he had always been in the area on the 4^th but never had run the race.

“This is definitely not an easy course,” Tim (21:40) said. “It is well organized, and everyone seems to be having a great time.”

Nick Brown (21:20) from Madison (NH) took third edging Adam Goode (21:24) of Topsham (ME).

Nick runs cross country at UNH and will be a senior.

Adam went to UMaine and is the cross-country coach at Bangor High School. Adam (35) spent four terms as a state representative for a section of Bangor.

Silas Eastman (11th)

Former winner Silas Eastman (24) was in the field. Silas (24) finished 11^th.

“I think it’s my 17^th year in a row being in this race,” the Colby graduate told me. “I love coming here. They said that there were people from every state here today. It’s fun to run with that many people.”

Lack of conditioning has caught up to Silas. “I’m doing a lot less training. Once I got out of college and away from the structure, life got in the way.”

Silas: “Right now I’m working on a crop farm in Fryeburg. I am also an assistant coach with the Fryeburg Academy ski team in the winter. I am working toward starting my own furniture-making business.”

Ryan: “I went to Goshen College (northern Indiana) and graduated two years ago. I’ve done the LL Bean two years in a row (he won both times) and decided to try something different this year. I ran a marathon twelve days ago and wasn’t sure where I’d be today condition-wise. I am planning to run the Beach to Beacon. I am an operations coordinator at a pellet mill in Strong, Maine. I do some accounting and a little bit of everything there.”

Mary Pardi at the start

Mary: “I’m guessing that I’ve done this race five times and finished in the top five each time. It was either this race or the LL Bean 10K. This is a little bit shorter but they’re both hard races. I’ve been home with my kids for a long time. I manage some property that we have. I love the small-town feel of the Bridgton race.”

Tim: “I have a busy schedule of running ahead. I am also looking for a job in the environmental sciences. I am planning to do the Yankee Homecoming race in Newburyport (MA) the end of the month.”

Bill Graham was the race director and did a terrific job.

Race results

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)