Freeport’s Brian Berkemeyer has been a runner himself for 37 years now. He’s coached the Falcons cross country and indoor track squads since 2000, and operated a race organizations company, Run in a Race, for five years. And now he’s launched a race series of his own, called the Back Woods Trail Series, aimed at giving something back to the runners themselves.

“Most of the runners pay a big fee to go to all these races,” he says. “And all those proceeds go to some kind of a donation, to a nonprofit.

“I’m doing this series to give back to runners, and to get more people running. That’s sort of what I’m about, being the cross country coach and track coach for so many years.”

The Back Woods Trail series kicked off on June 5, and goes every Friday for seven weeks, through July 17. Each race is a 5K and takes place on the Freeport High School cross country course, which begins and ends at the Pownal Road Football Field.

“It’s basically a two-and-a-half loop, will get you 3.1 miles,” Berkemeyer says. “It’s all through the woods, over three bridges my students built.”

The Freeport Running Boosters have been funding maintenance on the course since the team built it in 2008. Much of that money comes from a different race, a benefit called the Betty ReeZ WhoopieZ 5K Trail Run; Betty is a member of the Running Boosters and also a local whoopie pie magnate.

Road races are becoming increasingly popular. Berkemeyer hopes to grow his own series, of course, and looks at the success of others as a reason to have confidence.

“The Back Bay Cove series, in Portland – they can only have 250 runners on that trail. They’ve got 500 people signed up, and you have to go there and sign up, for 20 bucks, and you have to sign up each week!

“When they started out, they had what I had – 25, 27 people, so far. I have 50 people signed up. It’s for people to come see how they’re doing, how they’re running, where they’re at, physically.”

And when his runners complete the course, rewards are handed out. Not prizes for having finished first, second or third, but gifts to let the runners know these races were for them, and not for anyone else.

“Then I give back: Every race has some kind of freebie or coupon that you get from a local business,” he says. “The very last race, I’m giving away Run in a Race running hats.”

But as the series grows, both in popularity and in duration – Berkemeyer wants to extend it a week each year – the increase in revenue will help defray the cost of maintaining the trail.

“Eventually, there will enough people signed up and I’ll run the series long enough, that I will charge $20. If I get 500 people, that’s $10,000; and those proceeds, a big chunk of them, will go back into the trails.”

“It’s all about maintaining the trails, doing things for runners, getting people out running – it’s different than training for a race. You have that weekly commitment. I’m going to go out and do this run every week and get in shape. It’s a different attitude.”

For now, the Back Woods Trail Series costs just $10 for all seven weeks. Run in a Race is online at runinarace.com.

Chandler Vincent, left, and Henry Jaques, right, two of Freeport’s top cross country athletes, participate in the June 26th race.

Copy the Story Link