It was our biggest and best year yet! Sixteen members of Team MCFA ran at the Maine Marathon to support our Fishermen Wellness program, a collaborative effort with partners and experts in the healthcare field to improve access to resources that support various facets of commercial fishermen’s physical and mental health.
Together, we raised $11,505, breaking our goal of $10K and raising more than we ever have before. Along with donations from friends and family, this was the first year we also had local businesses sponsors. Thank you to Clark Insurance, Martin’s Point Healthcare, Coastal Performance, and Northeast Bank along with Fleet Feet Maine Running, which generously donated our race shirts.
October 6th was a beautiful day for running in Portland. We set up our tent by the starting chute and gathered the team for photos before we headed to the start or to our various relay points among the nearly 5,000 other runners. We had 2 four-person relay teams: the Racing Redfish and the Dashing Dabs, named after dab flounder (American plaice).
In addition, we had 5 half marathoners and 2 full marathoners. Team members included representatives from local businesses including Coastal Enterprises, Inc. and Rise Up counseling services, an MCFA board member, a Bowdoin student who served as a summer fellow for MCFA, runners from Luke’s Lobster staff, members of fishing families, and Evan Gleason from Clark Insurance, one of the team’s sponsors.
In a Times Record article leading up to the race, Gleason said, “As a teenager, I was a sternman for a few vessels that hauled out of Friendship. Right now, there are many uncertainties in the industry. There are a lot of hardworking people that can benefit from the resources MCFA has assembled.”
Marie Abrahams, a licensed counselor at Rise Up, said, “We all grapple with the unknown. Unpredictability in our personal and professional lives can be disheartening, but having a social network or counselor to talk to about those fears is crucial. MCFA is filling a void — fishermen are a huge part of our population, yet there aren’t many resources to support them.”
MCFA’s Director of Community Programs, Monique Coombs, described the importance of the Fishermen Wellness program by saying, “We are thrilled to have the support of runners
dedicated to MCFA’s Fishermen Wellness program. It’s so great for people to be able to support a program focused on enhancing health and wellness through the power of teamwork and running, both of which can significantly support one’s own health. The Fishermen Wellness program is so important for raising awareness about everything going on in Maine fishing communities and advocating for more resources to support the mental health and well-being of Maine’s commercial fishermen.”
Thank you again to everyone who ran and supported our team this year! If you’d still like to support Team MCFA, it isn’t too late.
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