Spring Runoff on Saturday

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The 27th annual UMPI Spring Runoff 5-K will be held this Saturday, April 14, at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. This will be the second race in the 2007 “Country Challenge” road racing series, sponsored by the Aroostook Musterds Running Club.
The first race, The Wild Katahdin Trust Snow Run, was held in Houlton on February 3 marking the kickoff of the series’ 25th season. The series offers quality racing experiences in towns county-wide including Fort Fairfield, Caribou, New Limerick, Presque Isle, Island Falls, and Houlton.
The series allows for gender specific participation in eight different age groups, a walkers division, and an overall category. After the Katahdin Trust race, the overall leaders are Susan Plissey and Evan Graves. Age group leaders are Andy Tree (15-18), Susan Plissey and Evan Graves (19-29), Angela Ewings and Jeff Ashby (30-39), Linda Mountain and Leo Kashian (40-49), Connie McLellen and     David Tree (50-59), Ruth Hare and Larry Tonzi (60-69), and Art Thompson (70 and over).
The series was inaugurated in 1983 with the series champions being Emily Higgins and Conrad Walton. Last year’s winners were Angela Ewings and Jeff Ashby. The winners in all divisions for 2007 will be announced at the awards picnic held at Nordic Heritage Ski     Center on Sunday, October 14. Participation awards will be given to those who compete in five of the nine races.
The other seven races in the series are:
June 24, S.W. Collins 5K, Caribou, 10 a.m.
July 7, Bull Run, Houlton, 9 a.m.
July 13, Musterd Mile, Caribou, 7 p.m.
July 21, Potato Blossom 5-Miler, Fort Fairfield, 9 a.m.
August 4, Island Falls Summer Fest, Island Falls, 9 a.m.
August 11, County Open Half-Marathon, New Limerick, 8 a.m.
September 3, Caribou Labor Day Road Race, Caribou, 11 a.m.
Registration for the April 14 race will be held in Wieden Hall gymnasium beginning at 7:30 a.m. Walkers start at 9:45 a.m. and runners, including relay participants, begin at 10 a.m. Information about the Spring Runoff and series may be obtained by calling Chris Smith at 768-9472 or through the Aroostook Musterds website at www.ainop.com/users/musterds/.