Larry Greer repeats as Bangor 5-mile winner

RK Notes – 1973 Bangor Five Mile Road Race. From the Bangor Daily News, September 4, 1973. Bob Haskell Reporting.

Eighteen-year old Larry Greer Monday afternoon established himself as the man to beat in next year’s Labor Day five-mile road race through downtown Bangor.

Greer won the 11th annual event sponsored by the Bangor Park and Recreation Department for the second Labor Day in as many years.

Although the Cape Elizabeth runner, one of the last of 49 to sign up for the race, was pushed hard by University of Maine cross country ace Carl Warner during the last two miles, Greer’s winning time of 27:13 was exactly 40 seconds off his 1972 winning time.

The 48 men and one woman started the five-mile journey through Bangor’s streets at 2:03 pm with the temperature on the Bangor Daily News clock reading a muggy 84 degrees.

Greer, who after the race said the humidity was responsible for his relatively slow time, recovered from a slow start and moved into fourth place after the first mile and a half on Harlow Street.

Greer, along with Warner, was pushing front runner Daniel Paul of Portland as the trio left Valley Avenue and pace up 14th Street and Holland Street Hill.

Greer and Warner moved into the lead on Wiley Street and ran side by side down West Broadway and Buck Street and back onto Main Street. As they entered the Bass Park harness oval for a lap to the finish line, however, Greer began pulling ahead and finished in front by about 30 yards, Warner’s second place time was 27:23.

Paul finished in fourth place at 27:58, 11 seconds behind Ralph Thomas of Gardiner.

In all, 43 of the starters finished the grueling course. Robin Voelker of Ellsworth, the only woman among the starters, finished 31st with a time of 34:46.

Sixteen-year old Gene Coffin crossed the finish line in front of the Bass Park grandstand 11th, in 30:56 to claim the trophy for the first finishing high school student.

Greg Goding, a member of the Bangor High School cross country team, came in 12th as the first Bangor resident to finish.

And Phil Harmon, 51, of Bar Mills finished 25th with a 33:07 clocking to win the trophy as the first man over 40 to cross the line.

Ken Flanders of Portland, one of Maine’s highly rated distance runners, was one of the six that did not finish.

Although he took the lead as the pack turned onto Railroad Street from Maine, he dropped back into the fifth spot on Harlow Street and dropped out as the leaders passed the Federal Building.

Flanders said he “just felt weak,” he said. “Maybe it’s too much training. I hope that’s all it is.”

But Greer, who’s on the threshold of his prime as a long distance runner crossed the finish line running almost as easily as he’s started.

He said he has cut his training schedule from 100 to 60 or 70 miles per week. But while he was jogging up and down the track after his victory, it was a good bet, he’ll be back in the lineup next Labor Day after a third straight win and after that record time of 25:43 that’s eluded him so far.

Race Results

Top 15 Finishers

1. Larry Greer, 27:13
2. Carl Warner, 27:23
3. Ralph Thomas, 27:47
4. Daniel Paul, 27:58
5. Stephen Whalen, 28:46
6. Richard Balentine, 29:09
7. Stephen Carl, 30:05
8. Robert Massucco, 30:09
9. Michael Kazilionis, 30:22
10. Dennett Buettner, 30:43
11. Gene Coffin, 30:56
12. Greg Goding, 31:14
13. Daniel Bondeson, 31:17
14. Colin Campbell, 31:25
15. John Keller, 31:31

Other Finishers

16. Paul Pray
17. Barry Fernald
18. Jerry Holmes
19. David Brooks
20. Mark Godecke
21. Eric Ellis
22. Jeff Humphrey
23. Theodore Spurling
24. Owen Logue
25. Phil Harmon
26. Frank Roberts
27. Donald Albert
28. Nathan MacDuffie
29. Albert Brill
30. Theodore Cornier
31. Robin Voelker
32. Norman Cornier
33. Richard Goodie
34. Dennis Morrill
35. Gary Allen
36. Kimp Bailey
37. Howard Richard, Jr.
38. Fred Judkins
40. (tie) Harry E. Trask
41. (tie) Everett Trask
42. Thomas Johnson
43. Malcolm Griffin