Running the Beach to Beacon clad as a superhero takes months of planning, according to Michael Downing, unofficially the race’s foremost expert in the matter.
“He’s literally e-mailing us all throughout the year with ideas. He’s like, ‘Check out this Under Armour. We’ve got to get this,'” said Patrick “Ira” Wales-Dinan, who joined forces with Downing, Ryan Fenton and Mike Lansing to dress as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Saturday.
It was the fifth time Downing, a former standout runner at Gorham High School who now works for Disability RMS in Westbrook, has coordinated a group to run in costume. Past themes have included Batman, Spider-Man and Superman. Each year is a learning experience, as costumes must balance comfort with authenticity.
The Ninja Turtle gear consisted of long-sleeved green Under Armour shirts topped with a yellow tank top, and green spandex shorts under yellow running shorts. Colored eye masks and a foam shell completed the look.
The runners decided to forgo the weaponry associated with their characters. Fenton, dressed as Donatello, said it was a matter of safety.
“Mine’s like a six-foot bo. I figured while I was running with that, I might be taking people out as I go,” he said.
The shells made elbow range of motion difficult, the turtles said, but overall the outfits worked well.
“They were a little warm, but they actually weren’t too bad.,” Downing said. “The masks were a little annoying, but the shells are pretty light, so they didn’t bother us too much.
“We tried to go as light as possible. We had a little mishap in the past with the Spider-Man costumes and sweatpants. That didn’t work out so well. “
The Spider-Man sweatpants, for the sake of accuracy, were a few sizes too small, which made 6.2 miles a struggle on a hot August day. Lesson learned.
This year, the Ninja Turtles received a large pepperoni pizza at around the 3.5-mile mark, where Route 77 turns onto Shore Road. With a large crowd cheering, the turtles – minus Lansing, who had to drop out midway through with an ankle injury – all ate a slice or two while trying to maintain their six-minute per mile pace.
“It was very hard to eat and run at the same time,” Downing said.
Fenton was a little more specific: “It almost came up at a couple points because when you’re breathing and swallowing at the same times, it all kind of goes to the same place.”
And Wales-Dinan spared no details: “The pizza came out Ryan’s nose.”
The three half-shelled hero finishers crossed the finish line in about 37:35, placing in the 150s overall. While they said they do it for fun and to entertain the crowd, running at a good clip is also an important part.
The crowd loves costumes, but when the guys wearing them are actually up near the front of the pack, it adds another dimension. That’s why Downing got concerned when he got word that Fenton might not arrive in time for the race.
Fenton, who ran for Cheverus High School and Clemson University and now works in Austin, Texas, for the track and field Web site flotrack.org, was in Belgium covering track on a work assignment and missed his scheduled flight back to the U.S. He got rerouted and finally made it to Philadelphia on Friday. From there, he flew standby to Portland, catching the last flight in on Friday night to complete a 23-hour travel day, much to Downing’s relief. Finding a last-minute replacement would not be easy.
“It’s kind of hard to find someone who can run a sub-six pace in a Ninja Turtle costume,” Downing said.
Wales-Dinan, who teaches at Noble High School and coaches track at Traip Academy, said the Beach to Beacon is a great race to dress up for, given the huge crowd and high level of competition.
“Besides the Boston Marathon, I’d say it’s the most competitive road race in the Northeast,” he said.
Fenton agreed that it’s got to at least be in the top four or five. But the finish line is unmatched in any race he’s been in.
“This race, I feel like, has the best, funnest finish of any race I’ve ever run,” he said. “It’s just lined like a half mile with people screaming.”
Especially for a guy in a mask and foam shell with pizza coming out his nose.
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