Mid Winter Classic


The Mid Winter Classic is an annual 10-mile road race held in Cape Elizabeth, Maine on the first Sunday in February. It began in 1982 with only 17 runners, growing to 1,000 registrants in 2025. The event is organized by the Maine Track Club and is regarded as the most competitive winter road race in Maine. It has also served as the host of the Road Runners Club of America Eastern Region Championship. Olympic medalists Joan Benoit and Lynn Jennings are among the winners of the Mid Winter Classic, along with nine runners who have competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Course

The start and finish lines are at Cape Elizabeth High School. The course is mostly rolling hills with some significant climbs, and the event often occurs in extremely cold conditions. The 2011 and 2022 races were cancelled due to severe winter weather, while the 2021 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The course loops through the western half of the town of Cape Elizabeth with a small segment through marshland in neighboring Scarborough. Approximately two miles of the course overlap with the Beach to Beacon 10K route along Ocean House Road.

Awards

In addition to prizes for the top overall men, women, and non-binary finishers, the race offers awards for the youngest and oldest finishers, as well as top performers by weight class. $100 cash is awarded if the course record is broken in the open or masters divisions.

Winners

1990-Present
EditionYearMen's winnerTime Women's winnerTime
9th1990Todd Coffin52:11Joan Benoit1:00:53
10th1991Chip Pierce52:56Veronica Knight1:02:43
11th1992Pete Bottomley56:58Veronica Knight1:02:47
12th1993Gilles Gautreau56:26Kathy Tracy1:02:17
13th1994Bob Winn52:34Christine Reaser1:00:38
14th1995Paul Johnson57:51Marty Shue1:01:14
15th1996Rob Pierce51:10Lynn Jennings59:56
16th1997Byrne Decker52:00Kristin Barry1:01:41
17th1998Todd Coffin52:55Lynn Jennings57:32
22nd2003Mike Caiazzo54:55Julia Kirtland1:02:46
23rd2004Ethan Hemphill53:31Susannah Beck58:07
24th2005Kevin Gray53:01Emily Levan1:01:16
25th2006Andy Spaulding53:23Sheri Piers1:04:04
26th2007Ethan Hemphill52:45Sheri Piers1:02:39
27th2008Rick Roundtree52:03Sheri Piers58:25
28th2009Peter Cameron54:09Sheri Piers59:45
29th2010Judson Cake50:57Sheri Piers1:00:45
30th2012Nick Wheeler52:21Erica Jesseman58:01
31st2013Rob Gomez51:50Sheri Piers57:25
32nd2014Dan Vassallo51:43Erica Jesseman1:00:32
33rd2015Adam Goode53:21Gabrielle Wheeler1:06:21
34th2016Chris Harmon53:45Kristin Barry1:02:22
35th2017Chris Harmon52:54Erica Jesseman1:01:24
36th2018Chris Harmon53:14Gabrielle Wheeler1:02:38
37th2019Michael Gordon54:00Amanda Nurse59:25
38th2020Matt Rand52:32Gretchen Speed1:04:02
39th2023Aaron Willingham50:58Kali Mcgown1:02:49
40th2024Adam Quinn52:20Veronica Graziano59:54
41st2025Dan Vassallo51:29Courtney Hawkins1:01:35