Patriot 5K Offering $1,000 Bonus to First Man or Woman to Break Record for Fastest-Ever 5K on Maine Soil

Race organizers hope to lure top runners from across the Northeast to flat, fast 3.1-mile course around scenic Crystal Lake in Gray, Maine on May 16

Gray, Maine - Already reputed to be Maine’s fastest 5K, the Patriot 5K in Gray is dangling a $1,000 carrot for any man or woman who is able to make it official.

Race organizers want the all-time Maine 5K record set on its fast and mostly flat lap around scenic Crystal Lake on May 16 and are ready to tack a $1,000 bonus onto the already generous cash prizes to the first runner to break the existing mark: 14:15.72 for men, 16:06.18 for women.


Runners can register for the popular road race at www.patriot5k.org. The sixth annual Patriot 5K,
known as P5K, will be capped at 1,200 runners this year. The race, which benefits the Patriot Parents PTO and Gray-New Gloucester schools, is known as Maine’s richest 5K with more than $5,500 in cash and prizes awarded.


An individual runner who wins the race and breaks the all-time state 5K mark would pocket a total of $1,750 - $500 for the win, a $250 bonus for setting a course record, and the additional $1,000 for the Maine 5K record.


“Our goal this year is not only to continue to put on a great community event, but also to assemble a field of the most elite runners from across the Northeast and beyond,” said Co-Race Director Tim Anketell. “We believe that with a significant cash incentive in place, if we can get the word out to the running community across the region, history can be made on May 16.”


Anketell applauded the race’s lead sponsor, Gray native and entrepreneur Michael Liberty and the Liberty Family Foundation, for putting up the $1,000 bonuses for an all-time Maine 5K record.


“This has become one of the area’s largest annual events, bringing together the communities in support of one of our greatest assets - our children's education,” Liberty said. “First and foremost, the Patriot 5K is about promoting health and fitness in our own community.  That said, some of the fastest 5K times each year in Maine are clocked at our race. Now it’s time to take it to the next level.”


The fastest 5K on record in the state – 14:15.72 – was set in 2006 at the Eliot Festival Days 5K by Yarmouth, Maine native Pat Tarpy. In 1996, former Olympic marathoner Cathy O’Brien of New Hampshire set the Maine record for women – 16:06.18 – at the Eliot road race.


The Patriot 5K course records are held by a pair of elite Maine runners, Ellsworth’s Louie Luchini – 14:38 in 2011 – and Scarborough’s Erica Jesseman – 16:20 in 2013.


The USATF-certified, 3.1-mile loop course takes runners around gorgeous Crystal Lake, beginning and ending at St. Gregory’s Church off North Raymond Road. After rolling, curving, dipping and winding through the first mile and a half, runners are able to glide through a long, straight, slightly downhill stretch to the finish.


The Patriot 5K, set for 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, has quickly become one of Maine’s leading 5Ks for avid runners, weekend warriors and first timers alike. The event has continued to grow steadily since its inception in 2010, when 256 runners crossed the finish line. In 2014, nearly 1,000 runners registered for the race.


The 2015 entry fee is $20 in advance and $25 on race day, if the race is not filled. Anyone registered by May 1 will receive a free event t-shirt and goodie bag. Participants can see the course and register at www.patriots5k.org.


The event includes a free half-mile Kids Fun Run, with medallions, at 8 a.m. on race morning. Participants also can enter the 5K Team Challenge, which pits teams of four or more against one another using a scoring system based on placement, not times. Awards will be given to the top three teams.


Volunteer opportunities also are available. Email info@patriot5k.org for more information. Chronotrack B Chip Timing will be provided by Split Time Race Management, and professional announcer Steve Moland will be on hand to call the action.


The Patriot Parents PTO, the race beneficiary, is an organization focused on strengthening, enhancing, and encouraging the educational and social environment of the schools in Gray and New Gloucester.


The Patriot 5K helps raise nearly $20,000 annually for enrichment programs in the community’s schools, according to the organization’s president, Michael Smith, who also serves as co-race director of the P5K.


“I have been humbled to witness, in a very short window of time, all the positive changes in our schools,” Smith said. “Great education and great events – Gray/New Gloucester is becoming one of Maine’s premier communities.”


The P5K Race Committee joined school and local community officials in thanking Liberty for his wide-ranging and ongoing efforts to give back to his community. From fully funding the food pantries in the lower schools to donating to virtually every youth sports program in Gray/New Gloucester to sponsoring scholarships to graduating seniors, Liberty and his Liberty Family Foundation epitomize local stewardship, Smith said.