Staff Writer
Back in the early 1980s, a northern Maine winter meant there were only a few races to enter and, basically, it was time for all but the hardiest running enthusiasts to put away their Nikes. Enter a couple of men who came up with “a haywire idea that we kind of tied onto and decided we’d try to get a sponsor or two for the race and just throw it out there and see how many people would come,” says Loren Ritchie. And, come they did. Ritchie, then principal at Katahdin High School and fellow runner, Barry McLaughlin, the school’s adult education director who also taught chemistry, put together the first Wild Katahdin Trust Snow Run which welcomed some 65 runners the first year. Almost entirely sponsored at first by Katahdin Trust Company, the event, Ritchie says, was initially “kind of a whim.” But it evolved with its own idiosyncrasies into a much-anticipated annual sports challenge with upwards of 100 runners in subsequent years — even as many as 150.
The course went from Patten down Route 11 to Katahdin High School in what Ritchie says was “all wide open course. There were no woods to shield the wind or anything else.” With a slight chuckle, Ritchie says, “we decided that we should try to find about the coldest time of winter in the most isolated area probably, and put together a road race.” He says: “We never measured it. We just guessed at it.” Anyone who directs a race, Ritchie says, “is always so precise about the length .… We just left it blank.” But, he added, they told people they were “guessing somewhere between 3.8 or four miles” and if anybody really wanted to know, he told them “you have to measure it yourself” which turned out to be one of the attractions, he says, along with other unique aspects like the post-race rituals, prizes and goody bags.
The popularity of the run grew over the years with immediate and continuing support from Katahdin Trust Company, local broadcast and print media including Maine Running Magazine and the Houlton Pioneer Times. The Ellis Family IGA, word of mouth, local companies and individuals also got on board and caught up in the excitement of the developing venture. Recalling the heady early days of the annual race, Ritchie says he didn’t know what he was getting into when he took on the responsibility. It meant coordinating lots of details from advertising and prizes to food and bookkeeping.
“The Ellis Family IGA agreed to put on some refreshments after the race and those refreshments turned into a regular high-quality smorgasbord. I mean it was just wonderful. They’d have meatballs and salads and hamburgers, hot dogs and every conceivable thing. Everything to drink. And they donated that!” As he recalled the amount of community support, he said some people recorded the race and the award ceremonies. Eventually, during the pre-race period, participants could watch videos of previous races on monitors set up in the gym.
And runners were asked to collect contributions in their communities for the Pine Tree Camp for disabled children and adults. On top of the donations, the modest $5 entry fee helped defray the costs that Ritchie says became a “pretty lavish affair” because so much was donated.
“We always had a slug of trophies,” he says, to recognize as many people as possible. That meant there were first-, second- and third-place trophies for every age group which went up in five-year increments. And, for runners in the first part of February, the prizes, trophies, food and goody bags were probably very well-deserved.
“We had temperatures well below zero. You know, 25, 30 below zero, with the wind chill, was probably average at that time of year,” he recollected. Of course, there was the occasional warmer weather that was not comfortable for running. But, he added, no matter what, the runners loved it.
And not only did they love the race, they loved what came after it. Ritchie says “we never had people leave after the race. Never. Because that was the high point of the race – the post-race ceremony.” They recognized the “mean runner” who was statistically in the middle of the pack. The first year, everyone poured out the back door to pile onto a skidder ride. Another year a hot tub on wheels was filled with bubble bath and, if reluctant, the mean runner was picked up and dropped in it — clothes and all, for a parade around the gym. One year, several “of the biggest boys” carried the “mean runner” around the gym pharaoh-style, on a litter. If it sounds like coming in at the middle of the pack was more fun than coming in first, Ritchie says “it probably was.”
By February, 1989, the Wild Katahdin Trust Snow Run moved to Houlton thanks to Ervin MacDonald and Steve McDonald after Ritchie’s retirement. In what was tantamount to a near-poetic moment of symmetry with their predecessors, MacDonald, the school district’s adult education director and McDonald, the science teacher at the high school took over the reins and innovated. As active runners, they preserved a race that was facing its own imminent demise without a director.
At first, it was staged at the high school and later they moved it to the Community Arena as a five-kilometer race. And, with that move came some changes – like the relays.
The relays brought in high school students who weren’t in condition to run a 5-K race but were able to split it up for a team. Also, local businesses, the Maine State Police and Houlton Police Department as well as the radio station had teams. MacDonald says the local businesses stepped up with more prizes and Katahdin Trust Company added cash prizes for personal best times.
The Houlton race says MacDonald, now started at the high school, went down through the middle of town through Market Square, past the municipal garage on the Bangor Road. For the return back, it went along Military Street up to the Foxcroft Road and finished back at the high school.
Although MacDonald still runs, he is no longer involved as an organizer. He fondly recalls the turnout of participants — more than 100 — and the support of the community including local businesses which he says is heartening. While the early, carefree atmosphere has become somewhat more serious, he says the race is still a great opportunity for family and friends to get together as spectators or runners for a great social event.
For those braving the sub-zero, bone-chilling temperatures of recent days, he mentioned one memorable run, years ago when the thermometer hit an unbelievable 70-plus degrees. It was March. Needless to say, it was unusually warm. So, hang on, folks. Think warm thoughts. Spring may be here before you know it. But, first, get ready to run or watch and have fun. It’s cool. Really cool fun.
