MDI or Bust!

Last spring, Stacy's friend Matt decided that he wanted to run his first marathon on Mount Desert Island. The 26.2 mile course on MDI was just named the best marathon in the country by Runner's World magazine. It's also one of the most challenging. With Brian and Melissa already planning on coming up for homecoming weekend, the two of them plus Stacy (Eric had to work) wanted to be there to cheer Matt on and watch him accomplish his goal.

Melissa created signs on the drive to the island...

We arrived in Bar Harbor just in time to wish Matt luck before headed for the starting line.

A small cannon was used to start the race and they were off! Matt was running so fast Stacy could barely catch a shot of him! :)

Brian and Melissa got in the spirit and participated in the marathon too!

We hopped back in the car and headed to our first stop, Seal Harbor. We were a bit ahead of the runners, so we spent time enjoying the view...

Before we knew it, Matt was coming around the bend!

We felt a little like storm chasers while we followed Matt along the course. We tried to make each stop increasingly exciting. At the first stop we simply cheered. At the second stop, we pulled out the "growl towels" from Saturday night's hockey game. The third stop was where we brought out the signs we made. And at the last two stops, Melissa used her cowbell while Stacy used a metal pot cover and wooden spoon.

Matt made running a marathon look easy!

As Matt approached the final stretch, the street was lined with more than a hundred cheering spectators. With the finish line in sight, he pulled out all stops and crossed the line strong!


Matt's goal had been to finish within four hours and be one of the first one hundred runners. Boy did he underestimate his ability! He finished 27th with a time of 3:14:46! We were so proud of him! It was about 39 degrees, so as soon as he crossed the finish line, he was handed a foil blanket to warm up with. He quickly drank several cups of Gatorade to replenish his electrolytes!

He was only 4 minutes shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon...that's quite a feat! Needless to say, he was pleased with his run!

We all headed back to Bar Harbor for a celebratory lunch and stopped for a photo op in the park.


Even after a three hour run, Matt still had the energy to joke around!

We had such a great time at our first marathon and were all so glad that we could be there to be a part of the culmination of months of hard work.

You are amazing, Matt!!