Mr. Luchini was an eight time All-American while at Stanford University and holds the school record for 5,000 meters in 13:25. He was member of the prestigious Nike Farm team and more recently he is a member of the Oregon Track Club Elite Program. Among his many running achievements, he has both competed with and beat his former teammate, Ryan Hall, who won the US Olympic trials marathon in 2008 and finished 3rd overall at the 2009 Boston Marathon. Mr. Luchini has competed in international level track and field at home and in Europe, including the 2004 US Olympic track team trials. Mr Luchini had the honor of being invited to be an official pace setter at the 2008 Prefontaine Classic in Oregon where Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele attempted a world record for 10,000 meters. Mr. Luchini is originally from Maine and is currently training for his marathon debut, possibly at the California International Marathon. He recently won the Maine Half Marathon held on October 4, in 1:06 and is slowly rounding back to top form after recovering from an achilles injury. Mr. Luchini's talk is expected to be both informative and inspiring, while the seasoned marathon audience might even be able to offer Mr. Luchini some training tips and advice.

You can learn more about Louie Luchini here and here.

We also launched our ongoing Beyond the Finish Line: Charitable Fundraising Program this year. $1086.00 was raised toward our ultimate goal of $100,000.00, to support of many local charitable organizations. Winners of our 'free entry for life contest' who were the top contributors or fundraisers for each charity are as follows:

• Bette Clark - Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center
• Larry Seibert - Friends of Acadia
• Carmen Cordogan - Island Connections
• Joelle Nolan - Mt. Desert Nursing Association
• Matthew Kennedy - SPCA of Hancock County

Our event also helped raise a combined total of over $11,000.00 in support of just two of the many other local charitable organizations we work with: Mt. Desert Nursery School and the MDI High School Music Boosters.

Registration is now open for our 2010 edition to be held on Sunday, October 17th. Our starting field is limited. We encourage potential participants to avoid disappointment and to sign-up now. Full results are here.

All donated funds go directly to the designated charities of your choice.

Over the past six years the MDI Marathon has helped to raise thousands of dollars for various local charitable groups. The small volunteer race staff is looking for a year-round office on Mount Desert Island. Please contact the Marathon at 207-276-4226, or email information@mdimarathon.org if you may have a suitable space... (full press release)

His time of 2:59:04 placed him in 12th overall and 2nd in the men's 50-54 division.

Mr. Allen ran his first marathon below three hours in July, 1978 in 2:52:41 at age 21. Doing so 30 years later is a feat not many, or any can claim. Mr. Allen is believed to be the first person in his home state of Maine to reach the incredible milestone of running 50 sub 3 hour marathons in four separate decades (the 50th at age 50). Congratulations Gary!

Race participants covet these banners as lasting way to commemorate their substantial achievements. They also make excellent corporate art, giving businesses both a way to show their support for the event and a way to make a generous contribution to a worthwhile local organization. 100% of the proceeds benefit the Mount Desert Nursery School. For more information contact Heather Jones at 207-276-5563. Visit the Community Partners page of our website to view the banners.

Visit runforoneplanet.com to learn more or make a donation in support of this important and worthwhile global environmental initiative today. The goal is to run a marathon each day, inspire 1 million new eco-actions for the earth, and raise $1 million for the Run for One Planet, legacy of action, that provides seed capital for eco-system enhancement initiatives around North America, granted to and driven by local community engagement and action.

Mr Lebow died in 1994. His event the New York City Marathon has been credited with literally changing the city and the tens of thousands of lives it touched.

Last winter Mr. Allen and Mary Ropp, marketing director of the MDI Marathon, were invited to attend the world premier of Run For Your Life, a documentary about Fred Lebow at the world famous Tribeca Film Festival, founded by Jane Rosenthal and Robert DeNiro in 2002 in response to the September 11th attacks on the Tribeca neighborhood of lower Manhattan.

At that event the director, Judd Ehrlich, and others seen in the film appeared on stage after the screening. Mr. Allen rose from his seat to say how Lebow's vision inspired a marathon held back in Maine. The award winning film, Run For Your Life is being released on DVD on October 28. However, like Lebow's trademark 'find a way to get it done' attitude, Allen contacted Mr. Ehrlich and asked if he might get a few copies 10 days early for the upcoming Mount Desert Island Marathon. Mr. Ehrlich generously agreed and limited advance copies of this fantastic film will be available at various times and locations during MDI Marathon weekend. These DVDs are not available anywhere on the planet until October 28th, making them true collector's editions, not to mention the well documented ties to the founding roots of the MDI Marathon. The MDI Marathon is working on an advance screening to be held over marathon weekend, location and times TBA.

Mr. Allen, Ms. Ropp, and the rest of the MDI Marathon race committee attend the NYC Marathon as their special guests each year, and in what has become an annual tradition, they bring the bronze statue of Fred Lebow a finisher's medal from the just concluded MDI Marathon as a small gesture and simple thank-you for providing the spirit, inspiration, and motivation that made our event happen.

We hope you enjoy this film, and if you are lucky enough to get a copy, remember that many scenes resonate perfectly with things that have happened along the way to bringing our event from a simple promise to what we all enjoy today on Mount Desert Island.

As the starter's cannon echoed off lower Main Street in picturesque downtown Bar Harbor, "Mr. MDI Marathon", David Herr from Canaan, Vermont, assumed his place at the front of the field, holding off all challengers, and winning again for the fifth time in seven attempts in a time of 2:36:45. (As if his mastery of our course needs to be further scrutinized, Mr. Herr has placed a convincing second in both of his other appearances at the MDI Marathon.) Jeff Day from, Berea, Ohio, placed second in 2:41:18. He was followed by Antoine Arcand of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, in 2:41:30. Eric Rudolph of Sullivan was the first Maine finisher and fourth overall in 2:41:50, and is the RRCA State Champion.

The top three finishers in ladies race was dominated by Maine runners. Late entrant Jenna Krajewski of China set a new course record of 3:03:02. She was followed to the finish line by 2006 champion Debbie Moreau of Turner, in 3:09:15. Amada Lebelle of Dedham, running her first marathon, claimed the third spot in 3:10:34.

Meanwhile hundreds of marathoners ranging in age from 16 to 75 traversed our postcard perfect towns and villages while enjoying many breathtaking seaside and woodland vistas. When the day ended, the 2008 Mount Desert Island was the largest of the six previous editions held, with 699 official finishers. They were cheered on by several thousand spectators and over 400 volunteers. Of the four teams who entered, the host club, Crow Athletics, were victorious for the second year in a row, over teams representing Sub5 Track Club, the Baltimore Pacemakers, and McKay's Public House Womens Team. Also featured, was the new Police/Fire/Rescue Charity Relay, won by Mt. Desert Police Department in 4:29:18. Full results. Race coverage by the Bar Harbor Times Village Soup, here.

One of these hams was a very special fellow; Gordon E. Kelly N1RGP. Gordon passed away October 24, 2008 at 76 years of age. Gordon let the race officials know the day before the big event this fall that he just couldn't make it this year due to a bad cold. He deeply regretted not being able to assist with the marathon. What made Gordon special was that he would pass out his own space blankets if the weather got cold and he felt a particular runner might be getting hypothermic. He also would let runners get warmed up in his vehicle or transport runners who could go no further. Once all the runners cleared his post, Gordon would slowly drive the course to assist those who might need aid or to alert other hams to watch out for a runner who was looking rather tired or lame. Gordon wasn't a runner, but he did go that extra mile. Gordon drove a school bus in Hancock County for 30 years and felt responsible for every child that stepped foot on his bus. He felt the same way about every runner on the MDI course; personally responsible for their safety and welfare. We shall miss him!

• Mt. Desert Nursery School $4060
• Pemetic PTA $300
• Harbor House $850
• MDIHS Music Boosters $6500
• Friends Of Acadia $310
• TOTAL $12,020

The MDIM participants and others are encouraged to raise funds for the LAF in honor or memory of those affected by cancer... (full press release)

The 2007 Mount Desert Island Marathon, presented by Red Lobster, featured a large starting field representing 48 states, 4 Canadian provinces, and many countries abroad. Our special guest speaker and honorary race starter was Maine's treasured Olympic Marathon Champion, gold medalist, Joan Benoit Samuelson.

As the starter's cannon echoed off lower Main Street in picturesque downtown Bar Harbor, "Mr. MDI Marathon", David Herr from Canaan, Vermont, assumed his place at the front of the field, holding off all challengers, and winning again for the fourth time in six attempts in a time of 2:37:44. (As if his mastery of our course needs to be further scrutinized, Mr. Herr has placed a convincing second in both of his other appearances at the MDI Marathon.) Andy Beardsley from Surry, Maine, who is a local Cross-Country coach, placed second in 2:41:20. Home grown runner, and Bar Harbor's own Matt Frongillo placed a strong third in 2:41:47. In the ladies race, Judi Chiavetta from Arlington, Massachusetts, found herself locked in a fierce and stiff competition with 2006 champion Debbie Moreau of Turner, Maine, and two-time local champion Lara Judson, of Mt. Desert, Maine, who was victorious in both 2003 and 2005. Ms. Chiavetta took the lead near the half-way mark and went on to win convincingly in the process recording a spectacular new course record in 3:04:42. She was followed by Ms. Moreau and Ms. Judson in 3:21:00 and 3:21:23 respectively.

Meanwhile hundreds of marathoners ranging in age from 16 to 74 traversed our postcard perfect towns and villages, while enjoying many breathtaking seaside and woodland vistas. When the day ended, the 2007 Mount Desert Island was the largest marathon held in the state of Maine this year. The event also featured many memorable moments including a wedding at the finish line in quaint downtown Southwest Harbor; Janice Hensler and Richard Bignell from St. Louis, Missouri, were married shortly after completing the course in 7:32:28. The happy couple finished shortly after the honorable John Franklin Street, mayor of the great American city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who crossed the line in 7:23:04. In the first ever Maine team competition, the host running club, Crow Athletics, was victorious and crowned Maine state team marathon champions.

Currently over 200 athletes representing 32 states, three Canadian provinces, and, three countries abroad are registered, and marathon officials expect the field to reach the 1,000 runner limit by race day.

The MDI Marathon was founded in 2002 and has enjoyed steady growth with participants from across the United States and beyond. MDI organizers said they are thrilled to work with Red Lobster, the world's largest casual dining seafood restaurant.

"Maine is renowned for its fresh, high-quality lobster," said Kent Wilson, Vice President of Brand Marketing for Red Lobster. "So helping to support the Mount Desert Island Marathon is a natural for us." (cont.)

Action Sports International photos here.

The group is comprised of 10 young men and 12 young women, ages 14 through 19 (those that qualify for junior status with USATF), and are all distance athletes traveling from Oregon, Texas, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine. Eight of these athletes competed last week at the Home Depot USATF National Championships in Carson, California. Three of the girls placed in the top six, named all-americans, and will represent the United States in Finland later this summer. Three of the boys also did the same and the top ranked boy in the country will be with at our training camp. The other athletes represent up and coming young athletes that have shown promise for advancing into the national level competition in the next year or so. (cont.)

Our course is now recognized by even more intense IAAF(International Association of Athletics Federation) and AIMS standards, as well as the USATF (USA Track and Field) standards which we had in place for our inaugural edition. This coupled with our newly awarded "Most Scenic Sports Event in the USA" in 2002 will help drive our event forward with tremendous momentum. We can expect many more runners from countries abroad to come compete on the roads of Mount Desert Island and for many years to come with this exciting news.

Last year's winner David Herr, 38, from Canaan, VT returned to repeat his win, managing to shave seven seconds off the course record with his finishing time of 2:34:24. Hometown Bar Harbor runner Lara Judson, 22, was the top female, outpacing many hardened veteran marathoners through this notoriously hilly course, and finishing with a time of 3:07:03, taking ten minutes off her own time from last year and eclipsing the record of 3:09:42 set last year by New Hampshire's Kim Pursley-Goff. Nine runners, including repeater 56-year-old Bob Sholl of Scarborough, broke three hours this year.

Island residents turned out in force this year to cheer and assist as the number of orange-shirted race volunteers nearly equaled the number of runners. Reflecting the idiosyncratic charm of this event, once again a silent auction of original art mile-marking banners by area artists helped raise money for the Mount Desert Island High School's music boosters.

While most runners entered expecting a tough course, many runners were happily surprised by their times. "A tough course, but fair," seemed to be a common consensus. A lot of people commented afterward that they liked that the race had both incredible scenery and a small town feeling while still having the roadside support and tight organization of a big-time race.

Our exciting point to point course runs over challenging terrain along a naturally designed course that will test and exhilarate our competitors. The route passes through several quaint villages and along Somes Sound, the only natural fjord in the eastern United States. We start in beautiful Bar Harbor with its world class restaurants, fine shops, cozy B&Bs, and numerous outdoor activities. Our finish is located in the scenic fishing village of Southwest Harbor with its large fleet of lobster fishing boats as well as many dining, lodging and shopping opportunities along its quiet Main Street. Come join us in what runners are already calling BIG SUR east. The Mount Desert Island Marathon 2002 and Maine "the way life should be."