Gorham resident, Robert Mountain, age 89, was awarded the John Kelly award for the oldest finisher in the Beach to Beacon race, just edging out an 88 year old for the award.
Mountain ran the Beach to Beacon for the first time at the age of 80 and has run every year since. His daughter, Tammy Woodbury, had run the race and suggested he give it a try. The first year he participated, Woodbury ran with him and kept telling him to “pick it up.” Mountain said he wished he had listened to her because he lost out being the top finisher in his age division by only a few seconds.
Photo courtesy of Tammy Woodbury/Beach to BeaconRobert Mountain was joined by his three granddaughters and a great granddaughter at the finish line of the Beach to Beacon.
Over the years Mountain has finished first in his age division several times. (There are no age divisions after the age of 85.) When asked why he does this, he said, “It’s a fun time for me. There are over 6,000 people at the starting line and everyone is jovial and positive. You get to meet people from all over the U.S.” He also enjoys running the race with his family. This year, he was joined by his three granddaughters and a great granddaughter.
Mountain believes the adage, “If you don’t use it you lose it.” He visits the Fitness Center at USM five mornings a week to work out, and on Saturdays, he runs on the roads. On the Saturday one week before this year’s Beach to Beacon race, he did two loops around the Baxter Boulevard trail (7 miles) in Portland as a warm up.