Over 80 brave the rain for 17th annual Pony Pride 5K

2009 FA graduate Pearsall repeats
as race winner

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — About 10 minutes after the starting gun the skies opened up and rain fell on Dover-Foxcroft during the 17th running of the Pony Pride 5K on the morning of Aug. 3. Despite the damp conditions 86 runners covered the five kilometer (3.1 miles) route through town, starting and finishing by the Piscataquis Regional YMCA on Park Street.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    PONY EXPRESS THROUGH D-F — A total of 86 runners took off from the starting line in the 17th annual Pony Pride 5K on Aug. 3 by the Piscataquis Regional YMCA in Dover-Foxcroft. The race through town is held during Foxcroft Academy’s Alumni Weekend and winning, for the second year in a row, was 2009 Foxcroft Academy graduate Graham Pearsall in 17:11. The women’s winner was Diane Kennan, who placed fifth overall with a time of 20:13.

    The race is sponsored by Foxcroft Academy as part of the school’s Alumni Weekend and the Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming, and among the 86 participants this year were 29 Foxcroft Academy alumni.
    2009 Foxcroft Academy graduate Graham Pearsall, who recently received his degree from Bates College in Lewiston where he ran cross country and indoor and outdoor track for the Bobcats, was the overall winner of this year’s Pony Pride 5K. Pearsall covered the course in 17 minutes, 11 seconds to win by over a minute and earn first-place honors for the second year in a row.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    RUNNIN’ IN THE RAIN — The skies opened up during the running of the Pony Pride 5K on Saturday morning, helping the 86 entrants stay cool over the 3.1-mile course which had them running down Forest Street and then taking a right to the finish line.

Diane Keenan

   Diane Keenan was the women’s winner, in a time of 20:13 to place fifth overall. Keenan had been a past participant in the Pony Pride 5K, and this year she won her first women’s title.
    Results: (placement, name, time and distinction if applicable): 1. Graham Pearsall 17:11 overall men’s and FA men’s alumni winner; 2. Kevin Glover 18:34 (men’s 30-39 winner); 3. Cooper Nelson 19:47, (men’s 15-19 winner); 4. Shawn Keenan 19:55; 5. Diane Keenan 20:13 (overall women’s winner); 6. Dwane Blomerth 20:38 (men’s 40-49 winner); 7. Craig Ruksznis 20:55 (men’s 20-29 winner); 8. Josh Bombero 21:12; 9. Zachary Erskine 21:53; 10. Jason Rowe 21:55;
    11. Gary Larson 22:32 (men’s 60-69 winner); 12. Ryan Nickerson 23:13; 13. Jim Ellis 23:14; 14. Dean Hartley 23:26; 15. Jeremy Kemp 23:29; 16. Greg Flis 23:30; 17. Tim Leland 23:31; 18. Allison Heath 23:37 (women’s 20-29 winner);  19. Jarod Panciera 23:38; 20. Jack Clark 23:55 (men’s 11-14 winner);

Graham Pearsall

    21. Nancy Roberts 24:29 (women’s 50-59 winner); 22. Tracy Stutzman 24:43 (Class of 1992 FA women’s alumni winner); 23. Andrea Palmer 24:44; 24. Tom Ruksznis 24:51 (men’s 50-59 winner); 25. Diana Swett 24:56;  26. Sara Glover 25:00 (women’s 30-39 winner); 27. Megan Kemp 25:01; 28. Henry Harnish 25:08; 29. Jessica Inch 25:24; 30. Terri Clark 25:31;
    31. Hunter Clark 25:31 (women’s 15-19 winner); 32. Jeremy Koch 25:43 (first FA men’s faculty); 33. Margie Burnett 25:48; 34. Tyson Chambers 25:49; 35. Bridget Ferry 25:55 (first FA women’s faculty); 36. Liza Smith 26:09; 37. Edward St.Charles  26:15; 38. Briana Dyer 26:23 (women’s 40-49 winner); 39. Hannah Bridges 26:54; 40. Amanda Ruskznis 27:18;
    41. Lisa Gordon 27:22;  42. Judy Folsom 27:39; 43. Stacylyn Dewey 27:42; 44. J. Morgan Smith 27:34; 45. Zoe Forbes 28:15 (women’s 11-14 winner); 46. Casey Ferrigno 28:16; 47. Karl Smith 28:22; 48. Lori Sharrow 28.24; 49. Myles Lemieux 28:24 (men’s 70 & over winner); 50. Donna Patterson 28:51;

Kevin Glover

    51. Erica Peterson 28:52; 52. Laura Dellaire 28:55; 53. Maria Mills 29:08; 54. Rolinda Mitchell 29:19; 55. Kathie Norcott 29:21; 56. Andrew Wright 29:22;  57. Judy Snow 29:24; 58. Tom Coy 29:33; 59. Sean Leland 29:48 (men’s 10 & under winner); 60. Natasha Allen 30:15;
   61. Kevin Keenan 30:16; 62. Ella Ferringo 30:27; 63. Joanna Smith 30:34; 64. Dan Steinke 30:44; 65. Anthony Lufkin 30:45; 66. Casey Lufkin 30:45; 67. Elyse Pomeroy 31:01; 68. Kristy Pratley 31:06; 69. Ashley McKusick 31:19; 70. Robyn Crabtree 31:45;
    71. Tom Crabtree 31:45; 72. Amber Jasen 32:01; 73. Louise Clement 32:35 (women’s 60-69 winner); 74. Kasey Watson 33:15; 75. Kate Leland 33:45; 76. Heather Evans 34:10; 77. Sheila Chaplin 34:30 (women’s 70 & over winner); 78. Jennifer Foley 35:00; 79. Robin Brasslett 35:34; 80. Rob Stevens 35:34; 

Cooper Nelson

   81. Sue Killam 35:35; 82. Hillary Caruso 36:00; 83. Chelsey Killam 37:19; 84. Jennifer Castongaus 37:21; 85. Paula Bailey 43:30; 86. Carolyn Clark 43:30.
    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 Keenan 20:13.

Shawn Keenan