Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for your continued patience. We hope this update finds you & yours in good health and good spirits.

Governor Janet Mills’ office announced on October 6th that the state of Maine will begin Phase 4 of its reopening plan starting on Tuesday, October 13th. Unfortunately, the state mandated Community Sports Guidelines have not been updated for Phase 4, and “group racing events” are still not recommended by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The current guidelines, last updated on September 1st, are as follows: Group racing events are not recommended at this time. Commonly these events are known as: “road race”, “5k” (3.1 miles), “10k” (6.2 miles), “half marathon” (13.1 miles), “marathon” (26.2 miles), “walk”, and “century or half-century” (100 or 50 miles). Further guidance for safe practice of such events is forthcoming.

In respect to these guidelines, organizers of the 2020 Millinocket Marathon & Half have been left with no other choice but to cancel this year’s event, originally scheduled for Saturday, December 5th.

“We started this free event to help support Maine’s Katahdin region, and in doing so, we have done the impossible by attracting thousands of participants from all over the US, Canada and beyond,” said Gary Allen, founder and race director. “However, despite multiple in-person races being held in our state during the pandemic, my team and I recognize that public health officials have an obligation to our greater community, and we support their efforts. The health and safety of our participants, along with that of our volunteers, spectators, partners, local community and organizing team has and always will be a top priority.”

In addition to the Maine CDC guidelines outlined above, it should be noted that neither United States Track & Field, nor Road Runners Club of America are currently issuing event sanctions or insurance in instances where local and state mandates cannot be followed.

Because there is no registration fee associated with the race, there will be no refunds or deferrals, with the exception of those who registered for the 2020 Sea to Summit Maine Race Series; those refunds were processed on October 7th. Any donations made to help with expenses for this year’s race will be applied to 2021. Those interested in participating in next year’s event are encouraged to sign up when registration opens.

While this decision weighs heavily on us, the health and well-being of our running community is of the utmost importance. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to racing with you again in the future.

Per the most over-used word of 2020, we are living in 'unprecedented' times. Please continue to take care of yourselves and help others whenever possible. Practice good social distancing. Wear face coverings. Wash your hands. Be kind.

Sincerely,
the folks at Crow Athletics

📷: Patrik Orcutt Photography