SCARBOROUGH — Amy Sullivan and Zeki Gurcan, Scarborough residents, were each on winning teams of the Odyssey Swim Run Casco Bay Islands female and male short courses, respectively, on Aug. 8.

Sullivan and her sister Melissa Ferrer McMahon said they were surprised, when crossing the finish line, to discover that their two-person team had won the short course female race, consisting of running and swimming portions along Long, Little and Great Chebeague Islands, located in Casco Bay. Their team, “Sisters with Blisters,” won with a time of three hours, 26 minutes and 11 seconds.

“We were just hoping to finish, so when we crossed the finish line, they came up to us and gave us wooden plaques and were like ‘You won! You won the female short course race!'” Sullivan said. “We said, ‘What?’ and then we just laughed. We really didn’t feel like we were going that fast.”

Ferrer McMahon said that the sisters were working hard to finish the race but didn’t have the goal to win.

Gurcan and his teammate Ivan Puchades, the “Tigers,” were the male short course winners with a time of two hours, 55 minutes and 52 seconds, which was 12 minutes ahead of the second-place winners, said Patrick Reagan, another racer and Scarborough resident.

The win was a pleasant surprise, Gurcan, who has participated in the event for five years, said. This was his first time placing.

“We were training pretty hard, but I didn’t expect to win,” he said.

Consisting of swimming and running, the Odyssey aqua-thon demands that teammates be in constant communication with each other in order to succeed, said Gurcan.

“I think most people find that aspect challenging because there’s a certain level of assertiveness as well as humble thinking that comes to play,” he said. “If you’re a good runner or swimmer, no one wants to admit that they are struggling during the race, to get some help from teammates. I think with my teammate, we were able to communicate and talk to each other during the race flawlessly. That really helped us with transitions. We didn’t lose any time. That definitely helped us, that communication. That bond was really good.”

Opposing teams are not as competitive as racers can be in other events, said Ferrer McMahon and Sullivan. Athletes were willing to give tips while training and during the event, teams cheered one another on.

“(The race is) really unique to Maine in that there aren’t many places in the country that hold these races,” Ferrer McMahon said. “I thought they did a really good job putting on the event. There are lots of logistical hurdles they have to deal with when getting things set up. If anyone wants a fun challenge and wants a teammate, they should sign up next year. The more support this sport gets, the better it will be.”

Seeing the different islands along the course made Gurcan appreciate the state he lives in more, he said.

“The ferry ride to Long Island in the early morning, being with hundreds of athletes who feel the same, who are excited to be out there, and then when you’re just swimming in Casco Bay and running in the islands and the trails and beaches, it’s like National Geographic happening in front of your eyes,” he said. “The whole experience is just fantastic. Then when you’re done, you look back and say, ‘This is where I live. This is my backyard.’ People come here to enjoy, and this is just our lives. I think to me is a special part of this race.”

Gurcan said he is planning to travel to his native country, Turkey, to compete with his high school water polo team this fall.

After each race, he said he feels like he learns something about himself and the resiliency humans have.

“Coming out of COVID especially, this was a very special race,” Gurcan said. “You try to be healthy and you try to exercise and enjoy what you have. COVID puts these kinds of events into even more perspective, so that’s something that I think made this race even more special, having the team organizers deal with so many people, local, state, island residents, put this together, and I think made it much more special.”

To learn more about the Odyssey Swim Run, visit odysseyswimrun.com/casco.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.