By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

Facing the worst heat and humidity in recent 4 on the Fourth memory, Moninda Marube and Erin Flynn had different approaches to the Bridgton race.

Marube, 40, of Auburn was ready to run a “tactical race.”

“I was not focused on time but a win. I rarely have a game plan before a race. My game plan comes in after the first mile,” he said. “The course is technical in the sense that, if you want to race well, you have to run smart.”

Moninda Marube

His approach proved to be the right one as Marube won the Bridgton title with a time of 20 minutes, 53 seconds ahead of Chris Garvin, 37, of Kingston, R.I., who crossed the Depot Street finish line in 21:18. Osman Doroow, 20, of Auburn was third in 21:23. Former Fryeburg Academy standout Silas Eastman, 23, of Chatham, N.H. was fourth at 21:32 and Nate Richards, 23, a counselor at Camp Newfound/Owatonna in Harriosn, rounded out the Top 5 in 21:34.

“First, I would like to thank the race director and crew for a race well organized. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to race 4 on the Fourth,” Marube said. “I love the organization of the race and more so the spectators along the course of the race. The community of Bridgton is awesome. That is why I have chosen to run it for the past five consecutive years winning four of them and coming in second one year.”

Marube has been running professionally for 12 years, but competitively for 17 years.

“Running has taught me three main values: 1. Discipline, 2. Focus, 3. Pain tolerance. All these values have helped me through life to become who I am,” he said.

How does he prepare for the race season?

Erin Flynn

“My current training is not cast on the stone, it all depends how I wake up and it’s anchored around base running, strength training, endurance sessions and speed sessions,” he said. “Depending on how I feel, I could wake up and go for strength training or if am tired, I go for base running. Most important is I must sweat at least once every single day for me to feel whole and check my day.”

The expected hot temps did change Erin Flynn’s approach.

“I ran much more conservatively from start to finish,” said the Newton, Mass. resident who claimed her second Bridgton title with a time of 25:17, good for 30th overall. “I love the history of the race. For decades, it has been a Fourth of July tradition for competitive athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike. A win in Bridgton carries a lot of prestige in the New England running community because we know the competition is always fierce. Race director, Jim Cossey, and his team do an incredible job of organizing a top-notch race and providing meaningful support to the community in Bridgton.”

Mary Pardi, 48, of Falmouth was second in 25:28 followed by Amanda Dearborn, 32, of Chicago, Ill. In third at 25:45. Former Fryeburg Academy star runner Anna Lastra, 20, of Bridgton was fourth in 25:46, while Tammy Slusser, 53, of Monroeville, Pa. rounded out the Top 5 in 26:58.

What makes Bridgton so tough?

Mary Pardi

“The hills in miles 2 and 3! They’re both tough. After you run this race a few times, you know that mile 2 is hard. But mile 3 is a sleeper. The combo of the two make this course one of the hardest I’ve run. But because of that, it’s also one of the best,” Flynn said.

Flynn has been running competitively for over 20 years.

“I enjoy so many things about it, but perhaps most of all, I love the fact that ‘competitive’ can be relative. Whether you’re running to win a race, to lose weight or to make it one mile without walking, you’re competing against something in some fashion. That’s what make running such an awesome sport — you don’t have to be the fastest runner to compete and win,” she said.

At age 39, Flynn has reduced her mileage, but has increased the amount of cross-training she does to prevent injury.

“Currently, I run approximately 40 miles per week off five days of running and I cross train two days per week on the bike. I do one weekly track workout and one long run that usually has a tempo run or fartlek in the middle,” she added. “The other runs are easy to moderate effort runs.”

About the Race

Silas Eastman

Race Director Jim Cossey provided the following fun facts about this year’s race:

By the numbers — 2,119 registrations, 73 no-shows, 1,938 finishers, 661 campers from 13 camps

States represented: 40, a new record, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico

States represented with more than 100 runners: Maine 567, Massachusetts 529, New York 117 and New Hampshire 101

Countries represented other than USA: 24, a new record

Registration was about 100 less than weekend race days

“National Anthem” singer Emily Ouellette of Fryeburg “knocked it out of the park” with her rendition.

Smooth start. Two-corral in the front of the start pack worked well.

No significant injuries or heat-related problems. “I understand that there was one runner who experienced heat exhaustion and was taken by an ambulance to the hospital, treated and release,” Cossey said. “I was surprised that there were not more heat-related problems. There was a water spray at Mile 3. Lots of water, Gatorade, Powerade, watermelon and a misting tent helped cool down runners in the finish area.”

Frequent winners of the Boys’ Camp Cup and Girls’ Camp Cup won the cups again — Camp Owatonna and Camp Newfound.