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| The Great Polar Bear Chase 5K |
When the first Great Polar Bear Chase 5K was held in October 1994 in Worcester, Orson (the) Polar Bear stunned the other 225 finishers by placing 31st with a time of 19:34. The following year Orson placed 45th in a field of 163 with a time of 20:39.
Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts prevented the race from being held last October and a decision was made to hold the race in April and also to move the race to Sterling. Why Sterling? An out-and-back course could be utilized which would allow the other competitors to have a sense of how they were doing in the race compared to Orson.
For Orson, the change to an April date proved to be disastrous. Coming off a winter's hibernation (and probably a few too many chocolate chip cookies), Orson placed dead last in a disappointing field of only 129.
Mark Wigler (Hubbardston), the first master, topped all finishers, while Steven Bayley (Sterling), one of an increasing number of high school age CMS runners, topped the junior division while placing second overall. Finishing ninth overall was the first senior, Bob Girouard (Fitchburg). Karl Tuomivaara (Paxton), Ed Sato (Worcester) and Richard Babin (Auburn) were 1-2-3 among veterans.
Barbara McManus (Worcester) and Theresa Furr (Turners Falls) finished 1-2 in the women's competition. Sarah Clifford (Grafton!) and Toni Bronzo (Auburn) were 1-2 among female juniors, while Laura Beckwith (Holden) topped both the female masters' and seniors' divisions. Joan Murzycki (Leicester) was the second female master. Marjorie Rosiello (Shrewsbury), Marion Connors (Baldwinville) and MariLou Crohan (Leominster) were 1-2-3 in the veterans' division.
1 Mark Wigler 40-49M CMS Hubbardston, MA 17:07 2 Steven Bayley 00-19M CMS Sterling, MA 17:31 3 Larry Thode 40-49M Upton, MA 17:43 4 Peter Marashio 20-39M Leominster, MA 17:51 5 Joseph DeCoff, Jr. 20-39M CMS Spencer, MA 17:57 6 Greg Marcotte 20-39M Worcester, MA 18:07 7 Len Harmon 20-39M CMS Charlton, MA 18:21 8 Ed Coleman 20-39M CMS Worcester, MA 18:26 9 Bob Girouard 50-59M CMS Fitchburg, MA 18:32 10 Stephen Hehn 00-19M Northbridge, MA 18:34 11 Jonathan Hebert 00-19M CMS Leominster, MA 18:41 12 John Loiselle 40-49M CMS Leominster, MA 18:55 13 Rick Hebert 40-49M CMS Leominster, MA 18:57 14 Jim Wedge 40-49M CMS Southbridge, MA 19:15 15 Jim Catapano 20-39M CMS Holden, MA 19:17 16 Barbara McManus 20-39F CMS Worcester, MA 19:21 17 Richard Welch 20-39M Holden, MA 19:22 18 Glenn Richards 40-49M CMS W. Boylston, MA 19:37 19 Jeff Moberg 00-19M CMS Webster, MA 19:52 20 Michael Lorion 20-39M CMS Worcester, MA 19;59 21 Tom Regele 20-39M Holden, MA 20:02 22 Therese Furr 20-39F CMS Turners Falls, MA 20:11 23 Bill Stanton 40-49M CMS Holden, MA 20:13 24 George Lamson 40-49M CMS Leicester, MA 20:18 25 Sarah Dempsey 20-39F Bolton, MA 20:23 26 Sarah Clifford 00-19F CMS Grafton, MA 20:35 27 Tom Clifford 20-39M CMS Grafton, MA 20:36 28 Bill Gregory 40-49M CMS Worcester, MA 20:43 29 Dennis Zajehowski 50-59M MS Griswold, CT 20:50 30 Leroy Brace 20-39M Worcester, MA 20:54 31 Joanne Fellows 20-39F CMS Leominster, MA 20:59 32 Daniel Lacroix 20-39M Spencer, MA 21:05 33 Rachel Goad 20-39F Clinton, MA 21:14 34 Bill Whitney 40-49M Marlboro, MA 21:16 35 Jeff Ide 20-39M Charlton, MA 21:17 36 Douglas Southall 220-39M Southbridge, MA 21:2 37 Bill DiNardo 20-39M Winchendon, MA 21:35 38 Ron Plante 20-39M Worcester, MA 21:39 39 Dick Karvonen 50-59M CMS Winchendon, MA 21:40 40 Laura Beckwith 50-59F CMS Holden, MA 21:45 41 Lisa Walker 20-39F Clinton, MA 21:48 42 Gary Gaskin 50-59M Jefferson, MA 21:50 43 James Holman 20-39M Natick, MA 22:00 44 Gregory Hoyt 00-19M CMS Leominster, MA 22:05 45 Bill Burke 20-39M CMS Leominster, MA 22:07 46 Toni Bronzo 00-19F CMS Auburn, MA 22:10 47 Robert Moberg 40-49M CMS Webster, MA 22:17 48 Terry Trask 20-39M Berlin, MA 22:21 49 URO 50 Brian Hampsch 20-39M Holden, MA 22:36 51 Tony Nuzzetti 40-49M Worcester, MA 22:36 52 John Matuzek 40-49M Shrewsbury, MA 22:39 53 Larry Gentile 50-59M CMS Worcester, MA 22:43 54 Lisa Belville 20-39F Athol, MA 22:53 55 Thomas Varno 20-39M Keene, NH 22:56 56 Paul Cole 40-49M Clinton, MA 22:58 57 Allen Halston 40-49M W. Brookfield, MA 23:00 58 Allen Hoffman 50-59M CMS Sterling, MA 23:03 59 Tara Cowdrey 00-19F AHS Athol, MA 23:04 60 Michael Chagnon 20-39M CMS Foxborough, MA 23:05 61 Dennis Regele 20-39M Holden, MA 23:09 62 Will Hackler 20-39M Leominster, MA 23:13 63 Karl Tuomivaara 60-69M CMS Paxton, MA 23:18 64 Timothy Regele 20-39M Rutland, MA 23:20 65 Thomas Paradis 20-39M Worcester, MA 23:23 66 Amanda Nelson 20-39F Worcester, MA 23:24 67 Kevin Quinn 40-49M CMS Paxton, MA 23:25 68 Christopher Hoyt 00-19M CMS Leominster, MA 23:27 69 Barbara Nichols 20-39F Dudley, MA 23:29 70 Bill Haskell 40-49M CMS Sterling, MA 23:31 71 Laura Hast 20-39F CMS Dudley, MA 23:35 72 Frank Meryl 50-59M Westminster, MA 23:37 73 David Tuomivaara 20-39M Winchendon, MA 23:53 74 John Durant 20-39M Spencer, MA 23:54 75 Ed Sato 60-69M CMS Worcester, MA 23:56 76 Chris Garcia 00-19M CMS Spencer, MA 24:05 77 Richard Babin 60-69M CMS Auburn, MA 24:07 78 Steven Nesbitt 20-39M Worcester, MA 24:08 79 Kevin Sarkey 40-49M Sterling, MA 24:22 80 Jeff Fiske 50-59M CMS New Braintree, MA 24:26 81 Penny Robinson 20-39F CMS Winchendon, MA 24:34 82 Joan Murzycki 40-49F CMS Leicester, MA 24:39 83 Peter Hast 20-39M CMS Dudley, MA 24:44 84 Bob Knowles 40-49M CMS Auburn, MA 24:57 85 John Carrigan 20-39M Holden, MA 25:01 86 Eric Rudman 00-19M CMS Princeton, MA 25:01 87 Robert Brodeur 40-49M CMS Worcester, MA 25:04 88 William Hackler 40-49M PR Fitchburg, MA 25:11 89 Christopher Johnson 20-39M Worcester, MA 25:15 90 Sue Young 20-39F Barre, MA 25:17 91 Suzanne Houghton 20-39F Barre, MA 25:18 92 Kristen Kelley 00-19F Jefferson, MA 25:19 93 John Finnell 40-49M CMS Orange, MA 25:20 94 Matthew Kelley 20-39M CMS Jefferson, MA 25:25 95 Kenneth Houghton 20-39M Barre, MA 25:55 96 Neal Milan 20-39M Groton, MA 26:06 97 Beverly Bierman 20-39F Shrewsbury, MA 26:08 98 Julie Fisher 00-19F Holden, MA 26:13 99 Jim DeZutter 60-69M CMS Harvard, MA 26:16 100 Dotty Kormeluk 40-49F Sterling, MA 26:24 101 URO 102 Margo Petracone 40-49F Barre, MA 26:37 103 Christine Donahue 20-39F Watertown, MA 26:24 104 Barbara Pagourgis 20-39F Sterling, MA 27:00 105 Colin Wigler 00-19M CMS Hubbardston, MA 27:06 106 Laura Grzyb 20-39F Fitchburg, MA 27:42 107 Jim Shope 60-69M CMS Shirley, MA 27:51 108 Richard Isenberg 40-49M Holden, MA 28:10 109 Marla Maykel 20-39F CMS Paxton, MA 28:34 110 Kathy LeBell 20-39F Athol, MA 28:35 111 Kathleen Majikas 20-39F Sterling, MA 28:44 112 Kathleen Parker 40-49F Sterling, MA 28:45 113 Rick Rudman 40-49M CMS Princeton, MA 28:51 114 Carrie Bourassa 20-39F CMS Spencer, MA 28:58 115 Carylou Taylor 20-39F Lowell, MA 29:02 116 Megan Manktelow 20-39F Gardner, MA 29:11 117 Marjorie Rosiello 60-69F CMS Shrewsbury, MA 29:12 118 Jason LeBell 00-19M AMS Athol, MA 29:48 119 Leonard Robinson 20-39M Winchendon, MA 29:55 120 Paul Wing 20-39M Leominster, MA 30:08 121 Sharon Kadesch 40-49F Leominster, MA 30:45 122 Jim Nelson 50-59M W. Brookfield, MA 30:53 123 Paul Steele, Jr. 20-39M Westford, MA 31:05 124 Jonathan Hoyt 00-19M CMS Leominster, MA 31:26 125 Steven E. Johnson 50-59M Westminster, MA 31:59 126 Dana Prentiss 29-39M CMS Shirley, MA 32:12 127 Marion Connors 60-69F CMS Baldwinville, MA 32:23 128 Marilou Crohan 60-69F CMS Leominster, MA 37:57 129 Orson (the) Bear CMS Point Barrow, AK 37:59
Organized by CMS: Don Drewniak (Princeton), race director; Jerry DeZutter (Worcester); Dolores Drewniak (Princeton); Bill Ferrara (Milford); Huff Furr (Turners Falls); John Grenier (Leicester); Eha Karvonen (Winchendon); John Matheson (Holden); Jan McNamara (Princeton); Louie Murzycki (Leicester); Nick Popiak (Thompson, CT); Ed Simpson (Barre)
(129finishers - overcast; low 50's; never before used out-and-back flat course)
Page teched (in the head) April 14, 1997, barry 
