‘Millinockeclipse’ will be on Golden Road during April eclipse

By Emily Burnham, Bangor Daily News Staff

Among such far-flung destinations as Antananarivo, Madagascar and Thessaloniki, Greece in the New York Times’ annual 52 places to go list is Millinocket, Maine, which the Times named as a top place to visit this year for the total solar eclipse, the totality of which will cross a swath of Maine on April 8.

The Times highlighted several eclipse destinations, including in Mexico, Canada and elsewhere in the U.S., but singled out Millinocket and a specific event to be held there as its number one choice overall.

The organizers of the annual Millinocket Marathon, led by runner Gary Allen, will host an unusual race dubbed the “Millinockeclipse,” occurring directly during the eclipse. 

Starting at 2:20:53 p.m., when the eclipse begins in Millinocket, racers will head out the Golden Road and run as far and as fast as they can for exactly one hour, thirteen minutes and 22 seconds, until the eclipse ends. Runners will then turn around and head back. A Facebook event listing said runners must have a GPS device and a headlamp in order to race, and that the pace and stops to admire the eclipse are entirely up to the runner. 

A number of Maine towns are gearing up to host eclipse tourists on April 8, including Houlton’s Eclipse Festival Weekend, set for April 5-8 and featuring music, crafts, food, kid’s events, a bus tour of Aroostook County’s scale model of the solar system and more. Similar events are planned for Caribou, Presque Isle and other County communities.