The 18th annual Peak Performance Maine Marathon/Half Marathon/Marathon Relay, which will traverse Portland, Falmouth, Cumberland and Yarmouth, will be held Sunday, Oct. 4.

“Other than we’re expecting another record, we don’t have changes this year,” said race director Howard Spear. “We have the usual tribute march, new organizations from out of state are selecting our event to do fundraising and we have a barefoot marathoner.”

The race starts on Baxter Boulevard in Portland, near Pedro Field. The first two miles wind around the Boulevard before taking a left turn onto Bates Street. That road crosses Washington Avenue and becomes Veranda Street continuing east. The runners then merge onto Route 1 and cross Martin’s Point Bridge into Falmouth.

After a short detour to Mackworth Point, the competitors return to Route 1 and eventually veer onto Route 88, running through Falmouth, Cumberland and into Yarmouth, before turning onto Gilman Road for a 2.5-mile loop through a residential neighborhood where the race reaches its halfway mark.

The runners then return to Route 88 and backtrack the way they came. Once they return to Veranda Street in Portland, the competitors turn right onto Sherwood Street, then left onto East Kidder Street, which crosses Washington and becomes West Kidder Street, which ends at Payson Park.

The runners then exit the park, go left onto Baxter Boulevard and push for the finish line at Back Cove. Half-marathoners will turn around just after Skillins Nursery in Falmouth and return the way they came.

At press time, 3,145 runners had registered.

For additional information on the race, visit www.mainemarathon.com.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net


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