An annual race in frigid temperatures helps revitalize a small Maine town : NPR
Every December, thousands of runners gather in a small town in northern Maine to run a marathon through the frigid woods. The race began as an unlikely way to revive the city’s economy.
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The problem in northern Maine this time of year is that it’s very cold. But every December, thousands of people run a marathon there. They brave freezing temperatures, dress up in costumes and drink shots of whiskey. As you can imagine, it’s not just about racing. The riders are also there to help a small town recover from economic devastation. Journalist Grace Benninghoff takes us there.
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GRACE BENNINGHOFF: It’s 18 degrees and Millinocket is full of people. Runners run into the street to warm their legs, even as icicles form on their beards and ponytails. They are there to travel down a slippery logging road and then through town. The money that thousands of runners bring in, whether in registration donations, fundraisers or money they spend at local businesses, stays here, in a city that was rocked by the closure of its largest employer, a paper mill, in 2014.
TRINA VAZNIS: It was devastating, and the city – you know, we’ve been trying to find deals ever since.
BENNINGHOFF: That’s Trina Vaznis, who worked at the Great Northern Paper Company for 20 years. While this year’s 3,200 runners bring hope, they also have a lot to love about the race. Ben Johnson runs dressed as a beekeeper and his friends come as bees. He’s from a town about an hour from here.
BEN JOHNSON: Cookie Hill is my favorite, cookies right at mile 11.5, at the top of a hill. Other costumes, there was a herd of deer somewhere – a whole bunch of people in deer suits. It was a lot of fun.
BENNINGHOFF: The temperature is getting closer to 20 degrees as the 10 a.m. start time approaches.
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: At your starting positions.
BENNINGHOFF: A mass of runners line up behind the starting line between a logging truck and a log loader. The music bursts. A gun fires. And they left.
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BENNINGHOFF: Downtown Millinocket used to be very busy every weekend. During the mill’s heyday, around 7,500 people lived in the town. Today, the population barely exceeds 4,000 inhabitants.
VAZNIS: You had movie theaters. You had a bowling alley. You had stores where you could buy clothes instead of Family Dollar (laughs).
BENNINGHOFF: The Great Northern Paper Company was one of the largest paper mills in the country and the city’s economy depended on it. Scott Moscone worked at the plant for 27 years.
SCOTT MOSCONE: It was depressing. I mean, there were… all the houses were for sale. It was as if the rats were leaving the ship. Everyone ran away from here, you know?
BENNINGHOFF: Gary Allen lives a few hours from Millinocket. After thousands lost their jobs, he knew the city needed a spark.
GARY ALLEN: I felt like I would try to do something to help because at the end of the day, they’re our neighbors. So I showed up with an idea, a very simple idea, that me and any friends I could attract would run around Millinocket for, you know, 13.1 or 26.2 miles and spend money in town.
BENNINGHOFF: And the spark ignited something. That first year, there were 52 runners. The following year, 600 people showed up. It is now a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon, in which thousands participate each year.
ALLEN: No one except a crazy person would think that this would work, that we’re going to have a marathon in frigid northern Maine in December, where temperatures are routinely below freezing, and that so many people would come.
BENNINGHOFF: Residents are still worried about the fate of Millinocket. And even if a weekend is not enough to transform the economy, it does something else.
MOSCONE: The city is a bit like before, with lots of people. Seeing the streets full of people is once again quite impressive. It reminds me of the good old days.
BENNINGHOFF: Whether runners qualified for Boston or participated in the race with friends, the event brought a spark back to Millinocket. Until next December.
For NPR News, my name is Grace Benninghoff.
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