BAR HARBOR – Athletes from Perry, Lincoln, Farmington, Gardiner, Dresden, Lisbon Falls, Bath, Boothbay, and Scarborough competed in Junior National 5,000-meter Racewalk Championship last weekend.
Not even the tail end of Hurricane Cindy could put a damper on the competition at Mt. Desert Island High School (MDI). After a week of strenuous training, both in the classroom and on the carriage trails of MDI, 11 athletes were given the opportunity to compete in the 5,000-meter championship race in the rain. A lightening bolt only served only to postpone the race for a period of time, after which the junior women raced followed by the junior men.
Maine’s race favorite Lauren Forgues, who turned in a spectacular fourth-place finish at the U.S. Junior Nationals in Carson, Calif., a few weeks ago, led for the first few laps and then traded places with her nemesis, Tina Peters from Yellow Springs, Ohio, and eventual race winner Dana Vered from Paramus, N.J.
It wasn’t long before an injury sustained before camp began to nag at Forgues, and she was forced to drop out of the race after being advised by her coach. Peters and Vered raced together for a number of laps before Vered moved in front of Peters by about 17 seconds to win the race.
Forgues and Tikki Smith of Lincoln not finish for medical reasons, so the field was whittled down to 10 walkers. Bath’s Ashley Taylor, a 2005 Class A racewalk champion and a graduating senior from Morse High School, walked away with fifth place and a first-place “most improved” award for the meet. Her time was a personal best of 29:10.33. She was followed closely by Helen Pottle (29:34.43). Farmington’s Sara Peak (eighth place), Lisbon’s Sara Adams (ninth), and Lincoln’s Sara Whitney (10th) rounded out the female Maine contingent. Most of the Maine walkers earned personal best marks.
Zachary Pollinger, two-time National Junior Champion from Mahwa, N.J., lapped the field and finished in a respectable time of 22:10.55, followed closely by a three-man contingent from Texas. Boothbay’s Matthew Forgues, Maine’s most accomplished 13-year-old racewalker, finished fifth overall, in a time of 27:45.06, although he couldn’t score since he wasn’t old enough to be considered as a junior (age 14 through 19, but not 20 in that year). Sixth-place finisher, Padric Gleason of Dresden, took the fifth-place medal, and seventh-place Taylor Burns of Scarborough grabbed the sixth-place medal.
Gardiner standout and Class A state racewalk challenger, Aaron Carroll, just missed out on the medals, but also walked a personal best time.
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