Almost immediately after race director Howard Spear pulled a string (after a failed first attempt) to set off a miniature cannon signaling the start of the 23rd Maine Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay Sunday morning, the start/finish area off Baxter Boulevard became bathed in sunlight.

The sun played hide-and-seek behind gray clouds throughout the morning, but no rain spoiled the proceedings for 1,017 runners in the full marathon, 1,977 in the half marathon and members of 94 relay teams that finished the race.

“We didn’t get the heavy rain, which is good,” Spear said early Sunday afternoon as marathon runners continued to return after their 26.2-mile journey to Yarmouth and back. “If it rained (Sunday), everybody would have quit on me. It would have been three out of four years.”

Christine Irish of North Yarmouth and Sam Seekins of Portland were pleased both with the conditions and their performances. They both pocketed $250 for winning the half marathon.

“Great weather,” said Irish, 39, who had downgraded from marathon to half after suffering a stress fracture of her femure in the spring. “Way better than I expected.”

Irish’s time was 1 hour, 23 minutes, 41 seconds and beat the rest of the women’s field by more than four minutes. Juliette Lynch, 28, of Ipswich, Massachusetts, was second in 1:28:01, followed by Erin Chalat, 53, of Cape Elizabeth half a minute later.

After opting for a marathon in New Hampshire the past few years, Irish returned to this race for the first time since 2009 and once again came away impressed with the volunteers and support along the route, which included water stops staffed by local high school cross country teams, a variety of bands, a group of step dancers from Gorham and friends and family members holding clever or inspiring signs.

Runners are asked to vote for their favorite water stop.

“I don’t know if I could have picked,” Irish said, “because they were all awesome.”

Seekins, a graduate of Erskine Academy and Bowdoin College, had never run a half marathon. He was used to the 5-kilometer distance from high school cross country and 8 kilometers from college.

“I just figured I would try a half marathon eventually,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with how it went for my first one.”

Seekins, 22, caught 2013 marathon champion Rob Gomez of Portland between the Martin’s Point Bridge and the I-295 underpass near Mile 10 with Gomez slowing from an apparent stomach cramp. Seekins finished in 1:11:29 with Gomez hanging on for third, three minutes later.

Second place went to Ivan Reznik, a 19-year-old from Portland’s sister city in Russia, Archangel. Reznik’s time was 1:12:57.

“There was a headwind on the way back so you’re getting helped by it on the way out and fighting it a little on the way back,” Seekins said. “But temperature-wise, it was perfect. Upper fifties is great for distance running.”

THE RACE BENEFICIARY for this year and next is the Scarborough-based Robbie Foundation, which seeks to provide adaptive equipment, assistive technology and therapy treatment not covered by insurance to families of children with special needs, and to raise awareness of the special needs community.

More than $50,000 will go to the Robbie Foundation. The race, which has raised more than $3 million since 1997, also gives smaller donations to a host of other local non-profits. Last year’s total for the non-designated beneficiaries was $22,900 spread among nine organizations.

DR. TOM HOKE, a medical tent director, said the cool temperatures made for a relatively relaxed day of treating runners.

“It’s mostly your typical exhaustion and dehydration that we see every year,” Hoke said early Sunday afternoon. “It’s safe and good so far.”

A CRISIS WAS AVERTED late Saturday morning when a runner noticed workers delivering portable toilets to locations near a cement factory on Ocean Avenue in Portland – along the altered route used for last year’s race during construction of the Martin’s Point Bridge.

“She saw them and said something’s wrong with this picture,” Spear said. “Otherwise, we might not have found out. I would have had some angry runners.”

BENEATH THE ARCH of red, white and blue balloons above the finish line stretched the Maine Marathon race banner. Hanging from the banner was an American flag and a small white-and-blue sign with the words Sarah – Bear.

Organizers hung the sign in tribute to Hope native Sarah Doubleday, a graduate of Camden Hills Regional High School, the University of Vermont and Brown University who was due to begin teaching social studies at Morse High in Bath in September.

Tragically, Doubleday died Sept. 2 after contracting a virus. Only 26, she had been training for Sunday’s race after finishing last year’s marathon in 3:57:53.

A close friend from high school, Katie Wood, contacted Spear and asked if family members could run a marathon relay in her honor.

They could, and did.

About two dozen wore special shirts that read “Bearathoners” – Bear was Doubleday’s nickname – and crossed the finish line together.

“It was a nice scene,” Spear said.