DOWNEAST — To Eastport or Bust. Two teams representing trail runners of Midcoast Maine held their own in a sometimes grueling 102-mile running relay from Ellsworth to Eastport Friday and Saturday, July 19 and 20.

The unique overnight Downeast Sunrise Trail Relay, having now completed its sixth year, pitted runners against a wide array of elements ranging from unsure footing in the black of night to abnormally high temperatures in the light of day.

The race drew several participants from the Midcoast who wanted to test their endurance against varied trails, weather conditions, and situations.

The Midcoast runners who made up TRoMM (Trail Runners of Midcoast Maine) included Mick Cummons, Lindsay Powers, Jonathan and Emily McDevitt, Jonathan Hayslip, Belinda Aldrich, Mary Smith, and Curtis Kozielec.

TroMM Too included Kipp Wright, Jan Pitcairn, Kate Ernst, Brendan Riordan, Laura Buxbaum, Jared Todd, Mary Middleton, and Sarah Thompson.

Athlethic ability alone was not enough to push TRoMM and TRoMM Too through the challenge, yet perseverance kept them going where one team and several individuals from the other 44 teams fell short.

Sickness and training injuries felled a few runners of other teams from the start. New sicknesses, gastrointestinal problems, heat exhaustion, and sleep deprivation toppled others along the way.

Yet TRoMM Too kept its cool as the runners navigated step-by-step instructions through a sleepless night to a 13th place finish. TRoMM Too was on the move for 15.25 hours between the 9:30 p.m. start and their 1 p.m. finish.

TRoMM (the original) followed suit to an 18th place minute. 

A few wrong turns, night shadows, footsteps in the dark that sounded like someone following – only to realize they are your own footsteps and rustling clothes. Abnormally hot daytime temperatures that reached 91 degrees, with a pavement temperature of 134 degrees.

For some, a full day’s work preceded the drive to Ellsworth and a modest 9:30 start time, which was in the middle of the gamut of start times ranging from the earliest, 5:30 p.m., and the latest, 1 a.m. – all with anticipation of finishing in Eastport’s coastal breeze at noon.   

“You can’t get lost,” said Downeast Sunrise Trail Relay founder Gary Allen before five of the 46 participating teams began their heat Friday night at 9:30.

For TRoMM Too, Brendan initiated our journey. For TRoMM (the veteran Trail Runners of Midcoast Maine team), Curtis started the “fun.”

Along with us were Hot Chafing Dishes, Miss Millinocket, and Pace Cadets. 

Can’t get lost? Of course you can. Not too, too lost. But with multiple people in the car, all distracted at times with their own thoughts, one sometimes fails to notice that the previous instruction had already been completed. Our team did well. Opposing interpretations were voiced, but reasoning came before venom could spew.

Then again, TRoMM Too held an advantage over many competitors. TRoMM (1) had prepared us well. And, more importantly in my opinion, our eight runners seemed to hold a ‘whatever happens, happens,’ outlook.

And, it all happened. 

From the most dramatic: (sorry race organizers) a minor car accident in which an unrelated car drove toward a leg exchange and failed to quickly notice the many vehicles and the large group of runners with their required reflective safety vests, headlamps and blinking rear lights.

As some watched (my vehicle had already commenced to the next exchange), the car swerved out of control before crashing into the undercarriage of a parked van occupied by several runners.

No one was hurt, though all who saw, and/or heard, and/or dove for cover, were a bit shaky for awhile after.  The team still finished, albeit, a bit behind schedule, and the driver of the errant vehicle was loaned some shiny bracelet bling and a backseat ride from the scene.

The nighttime falls, the bullfrogs providing harmony through the marshes along the ATV trails. The cramped muscles between runs. (I ran leg 5 (6.2 miles through Cherryfield around 1:30 a.m.) and leg 9 (3.6 miles near Dennysville around 6 a.m.).

The increasing anxiety as waiting for a runner starts in the single minute fraction and then turns into tens of minutes. 

Followed by the relief of teammates, and the elation of the runner who completed the challenge.

6th Annual Down East Sunrise Trail Team Relay 102.7 Miles Ellsworth to Eastport, Maine July 19 & 20, 2019 Sponsored by Crow Athletics Results by Sub5 Track Club

Place No. Club Time Pace ===== ==== ============================================= ======= ===== 1 43 Old Town Track Club 10:19:36 6:02 2 3 RIOT 11:25:25 6:41 3 5 Rebel Scum 12:06:36 7:05 4 6 Eastbound and Down 12:08:14 7:06 5 2 US Dept of Minimal Effort 12:28:07 7:17 6 8 Central Maine Striders 12:37:46 7:23 7 7 Wackos in WaCo 13:00:00 7:36 8 10 Moose Caboose 14:12:16 8:18 9 49 No Sleep till Eastport 14:17:37 8:21 10 50 Barnacles of Narnia 14:31:18 8:29 11 44 Miss Millinocket 14:49:12 8:39 12 4 Pace Cadets 14:58:14 8:45 13 30 Team TRoMM Too 15:14:04 8:54 14 14 Lull in the Action 15:16:15 8:55 15 16 Hot Chafing Dishes 15:21:32 8:58 16 25 Maine Running Fossils Too 15:25:00 9:00 17 45 FRNY Four Blind Mice 15:37:03 9:07 18 11 Team TRoMM 15:46:57 9:13 19 12 Team VCV 16:25:27 9:36 20 47 Half Fast Runners 16:29:19 9:38 21 17 Runners 2 the East 16:29:53 9:38 22 15 Trail Animals 16:36:25 9:42 23 23 Paine Posse 16:39:57 9:44 24 9 Sleepless 16:50:28 9:50 25 38 Blueberry Fields Foreverr 16:51:16 9:51 26 36 SWATT 17:02:24 9:57 27 48 Hall n Asses 17:14:31 10:04 28 40 Not Fast But Furious 17:21:31 10:08 29 19 Bustah Move 17:34:28 10:16 30 35 Kickin Up Dust 17:37:20 10:18 31 37 Runnin Ritas 17:52:16 10:26 32 20 Maine Running Fossils 17:59:54 10:31 33 28 Suspicious Activity 18:03:27 10:33 34 29 Night of the Running Dead 18:03:27 10:33 35 24 Medics On The Move 18:15:18 10:40 36 22 Six03 in the Two07 18:18:29 10:42 37 33 Dude wheres my toenail 18:18:29 10:42 38 46 Puddle Pirates 18:22:47 10:44 39 31 Mixed Nuts 18:38:34 10:53 40 32 Team Leisure FIOOST 19:01:47 11:07 41 26 Between a Walk and a Hard Pace 19:27:47 11:22 42 42 Why Run When We Can Fly 19:43:08 11:31 43 34 DESTined for Trailure 19:57:53 11:40 44 21 Undertrained and Overconfident 19:58:32 11:40 45 27 Sallys Trailblazers 20:39:57 12:04 46 39 Night of thee Fartleking Unicorns 22:33:17 13:10