Pearsall three-peats in FA’s Alumni Weekend Pony Pride 5K
By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer
DOVER-FOXCROFT — A record field of 94 laced up their sneakers to run through the streets of Dover-Foxcroft, starting and finishing by the Piscataquis Regional YMCA, during the 18th annual Pony Pride 5K on the morning of Aug. 2 — an event held as part of Foxcroft Academy’s Alumni Weekend which this year featured 25 of the school’s graduates taking part.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
THE GALLOP OF NEARLY 100 PAIRS OF FEET — Ninety-four entrants took part in the 18th annual Pony Pride 5K on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 2 by the PRYMCA in Dover-Foxcroft. This year’s race, held by Foxcroft Academy as part of Alumni Weekend, featured a record number of runners taking part as well as the first three-peat winner. Graham Pearsall, a 2009 Foxcroft Academy graduate and current member of the faculty, finished in first place for the third year in a row, to become the first Pony Pride runner to accomplish this feat and second to win the race three times.
First place,
Graham Pearsall
Second place,
Perry Labreton
History was also set in 2014 as Graham Pearsall, a 2009 graduate of Foxcroft Academy who now teaches at his alma mater after running cross country, indoor and outdoor track at Bates College in Lewiston, became the first to win the Pony Pride 5K for three years in a row. Pearsall finished the 3.1-mile course in 16 minutes, 47 seconds, over 40 seconds ahead of runner-up Perry Lebreton’s time of 17:28.
Pearsall also matched Tim Wakeland with three total first-place runs, as Wakeland won the inaugural Pony Pride 5K in 1997 and then did likewise in 2000 and 2004. Pearsall’s time this year ranks ninth among the 18 first-place runs.
Heather Mailhot was the women’s winner, in a time of 24:31 to place 25th overall.
Results (placement, name, time and distinction if applicable): 1. Graham Pearsall 16:47 (FA alum and men’s staff winner), 2. Perry Lebreton 17:28 (men’s 30-39 winner), 3. Cooper Nelson 19:05 (men’s 16-19 winner), 4. Nick Huston 19:23, 5. Ben Thornton 19:29, 6. John Conner 19:40 (men’s 40-49 winner), 7. Dwane Blomerth 20:21, 8. Shawn Keenan 20:21, 9. Jamie Bray 20:34, 10. Matthew Eluk 20.44,
11. Trey Carleton 21:15 (men’s 50-59 winner), 12. Nicholas Kimball 21:51 (men’s 20-29 winner), 13. Glenn Annis 21:54, 14. David Slagger 22:16, 15. Joshua Huston 22:32 (men’s 11-15 winner), 16. Brian Mailhot 22:50, 17. Dean Hartley 23:17,18. Gary Larson 23:19 (men’s 60-69 winner), 20. Jack Clark 23:25,
Third place,
Cooper Nelson
Fourth place,
Nick Huston
21. Jim Ellis 23:35, 22. Matt Tibbetts 23:39, 23. Matt Raynes 24:19, 24. Chris Bennett 24:24 (men’s 10 and under winner), 25. Heather Mailhot 24:31, 26. Terri Clark 24:40 (women’s 50-59 winner), 27. Jacob Loranger 24:44, 28. Meryl McLellan 24:49 (women’s 20-29 winner), 29. Ethan Roach 24:54, 30. Beth Merrill 24:56 (women’s 40-49 winner),
31. Jim Murphy 25:01, 32. Katelyn Bennett 25:04 (women’s 11-15 winner), 33. Emma Bennett 25:21, 34. Joseph Michaud 25:25, 35. Tim Wyman 25:47, 36. Mac Wyman 25:48, 37. Briana Dyer 26:11 (FA women’s alum winner), 38. Erin Murphy 26:21 (women’s 30-39 winner), 39. Meagan Lemieux 26:35, 40. Craig Lemieux 26:35,
41. Hannah Bridges 26:38 (women’s 16-19 winner), 42. Myles Lemieux 26:51 (men’s 70-plus winner), 43. Morgan Smith 27:09, 44. Jerrod Smith 27:25, 45. Judy Folsom 27:35, 46. James Swantz 27:56, 47. Brandon Gaetzke 27:56, 48. Jessica Inch 28:08, 49. Ella Ferrigno 28:12, 50. Lincoln Robinson 28:22,
51. Amanda Ruksznis 28:39, 52. Casey Ferrigno 28:47, 53. Wes Sands 29:08, 54. Darcie Sands 29:28, 55. Jody Annis 29:35, 56. Matt Laliberte 29:41, 57. Angela Medeiros 29:41, 58. Steve Taylor 29:41, 59. Tracy Stutzman 30:10, 60. Jennifer Michaud-Finch 30:10,
Fifth place,
Ben Thornton
Women’s winner,
Heather Mailhot
61. Laura Dellaire 30:17, 62. Shari Sage 30:17, 63. Joanna Smith 30:27 (FA women’s staff winner), 64. Nina Pratt 30:28, 65. Sarah Eluk 30:30, 66. Mandy Snowden 30:32, 67. Alycia Bennett 30:39, 68. Dean Miller 30:44, 69. Donna Peterson 30:53, 70. Glen Clawson 31:07,
71. Kacie Ladd 31:43, 72. Leslie Nelson 31:45, 73. Aimee Gomes 31:48, 74. Tom Crabtree 31:59, 75. Robyn Crabtree 31:59, 76. Erica Peterson 32:23, 77. Mark Robinson 33:11, 78. Louise Clement 33:14 (women’s 60-69 winner), 79. Daphyne Deane 33:42, 80. Allison Sands 34:20,
81. Brenda Clawson 34:30, 82. Carrie Perry 35:35, 83. Andrea Jette 35:35, 84. Lesley Chambers 36:05, 85. Kelly Keenan 37:10, 86. Julie Love 38:34, 87. Emily Deane 39:34, 88. Emily Curtis 40:53, 89. Stacy Shorey 40:53, 90. Nancy Loranger 41:24,
91. Griffin Caruso 41:24, 92. Jack Caruso 41:24, 93. Hillary Caruso 41:37, 92. Becky Miller 42:30, 93. Pat Miller 42:30, 94. Abby Miller 42:30 (women’s 10 and under winner).
All-time Pony Pride winners: (year, men’s winner and time, women’s winner and time): 1997 Tim Wakeland 16:20 Jana Crocker 21:26; 1998 John Chase 17:05 Sunshine Weinrich 20:30; 1999 Justin Bates 17:06 Amanda Thompson 22:14; 2000 Wakeland 17:00 Dana Frasz 20:39; 2001 Dave Nelson 16:16 Frasz 20:31; 2002 Mike Chilly 17:21 Katherine Carroll 21:35 (youngest winner at age 15); 2003 Bates 16:24 Cassie Hintz 18:40; 2004 Wakeland 16:24 Hintz 17:15; 2005 Eric Rudolph 17:02 Hintz 17:13; 2006 Greg Hammett 16:50 Hintz 18:07 (due to bridge construction on Essex Street the distance was 3.19 miles); 2007 Hammett 16:16 Elizabeth Brunton 19:11; 2008 Rudolph 16:17 Brunton 19:36; 2009 Rudolph 16:25 Katie Herbine 19:37; 2010 Shawn Keenan 17:20 Brunton 18:24; 2011 Jerod Hayes 16:55 Hintz 19:22; 2012 Pearsall 16:42 Meghan Keane 21:53; 2013 Pearsall 17:11 Diane Keenan 20:13; 2014 Pearsall 16:37 Mailhot 24:31.