FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Manhattan Runner Wins First Bay of Fundy International Marathon
LUBEC, MAINE -- Will Guzick, a first-time visitor to Maine, is planning to
climb Mount Katahdin, Maine's most famous mountain, on Monday. But he spent
Sunday finishing first in a marathon.
Guzick, 24, is a Manhattan consultant who had never been to Maine before
the June 22-23 weekend. He spent Saturday night camping at Herring Cove
Provincial Park on Campobello Island, then was one of 800 runners who
gathered for the first Bay of Fundy International Marathon and 10K.
By finishing in 2 hours, 40 minutes, 51 seconds, Guzick set the pace for
the inaugural event, a two-country, cross-border race. Guzick's previous
marathon wins, at Yonkers in 2011 and at Central Park last January, were
closer to home.
Marathon runners ran from the lighthouse in Lubec, across the Canadian
border to the lighthouse at the tip of Campobello, New Brunswick, then
returned across the FDR Memorial Bridge to finish on Lubec's waterfront.
There were 448 finishers in the marathon, and 270 more in the 10K. The 10K
course stayed entirely within Lubec.
Guzick won the marathon by three minutes over Justin Leach (2:44:01) of
Birmingham, Ala. "It's a tough course," Leach said. "I haven't run anything
tougher."
In the marathon field of runners from 36 states, six provinces and 21
countries, the winning woman was a local runner, Sarah Mulcahy of Baring in
Washington County.
"This marathon was very challenging course," said Mulcahy, who finished in
3:16:22. "I missed my goal by a minute, but I'll take it. It was awesome."
Mulcahy is a newcomer to marathons in Maine. She found the course "as hilly
as the "MDI Marathon" in Bar Harbor, in which she finished fourth in her
first marathon last October. She placed high in the Sugarloaf Marathon in
Kingfield last month.
Robert Ashby of Brunswick, who finished third in 2:48:31, was the top Maine
finisher.
Runners enjoyed cool temperatures and a breeze off the water as they
tackled the hills across Campobello. Several noted that they spotted whales
near the Head Harbour Light, where they turned back toward Lubec.
They were supported along the course by more than 100 volunteers from both
Lubec and Campobello, and hundreds more spectators. "I heard too many times
that I was on the last hill," one North Carolina marathoner said. "I didn't
believe that until I was heading back on the bridge."
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