Sideline Stories: Sarah Mulcahy – Cheers to 10 Years of the Millinocket Marathon & Half
In November 2015, when Gary Allen, Crow Athletics, posted on Facebook that he wanted to run a marathon in December in Millinocket to help support a struggling former mill town, I didn’t hesitate to say I’d join because I was a small-town girl. So, about fifty of us showed up, ran a self-supported route Gary had mapped out, and brought a brief sense of runner’s high to the town. It was a beautiful, almost 50-degree day, and our one job while in Millinocket was to support local businesses. After running, many of us gathered at the Sawmill Bar & Grill restaurant because after 26.2 miles, who doesn’t want nachos or chicken quesadillas? We ate together, laughed together, and tipped our bills by about 100*%. I remember overhearing a waitress say, “I’ll be able to buy Christmas gifts.” That is the meaning behind the Millinocket Marathon and Half Marathon.
I’ve run every edition since. In 2016, there were windchills of over 20 below zero, yet there were still so many spectators out on the course in that wretched cold. I was 5 ½ months pregnant with my son and remember having to buy special maternity cold weather gear. In just one year, the race went from a flash mob to over 500 crazy people willing to support the town!
Millinocket 2016 was the last marathon I did before I suffered a femoral neck hip fracture at 31 weeks pregnant in January 2017; Millinocket 2017 was my first marathon back after hip surgery and the birth of my second child. It was also the race that gave me the confidence to train harder, qualifying for the Olympic trials in December 2018 at the California International Marathon.
Just six days later, I ran 2018 Millinocket. I have returned every year and even ran it virtually in 2020. I broke my own course record in 2023 and ran on what felt like mashed potatoes along the Golden Road in 2024. I’ve almost eaten it on ice on Huber Road and enjoyed conversations with fellow runners along the course. I’ve had years when I ran in shorts and a singlet, others when I ran in many layers with hand and toe warmers, and still others when I was drenched by rain. I will say I have never indulged in any famed Fireball along the course, though, because just the thought of combining alcohol and running makes me queasy. The spectators are just as much diehards as the runners because, in my opinion, standing around and cheering in all the weather is much more challenging than being in it while running.
Although I have had success in Millinocket, the marathon isn’t about the race; it’s about the journey. It’s about people coming together and using their passion for running to help one another and improve a local community. My favorite weekend activities include shopping at the craft fair, eating supper on Friday at The American Legion, and enjoying breakfast Saturday morning at the Timber Cruisers Snowmobile Club. I enjoy making conversations with the locals, many of whom I see every year, as well as meeting up with the numerous runner friends I have made from this race. I love the camaraderie and the enthusiasm that fill the air on marathon weekend. Anyone who runs Millinocket will tell you to come with an open heart and wallet, and you will leave feeling more fulfilled than when you began.
