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Maine
Win Money Running Bangor, Maine
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half is coming Sunday, June 23rd. You can sign up now for this inaugural event that will give you a tour of Bangor on foot … and you’ll get a workout in.
Marathon runner running on city road
You can sign up for the full 26.2 miles for $125 and be in the running (pun intended) to compete for the top 3 timed finishes to win a cash prize of $1000 for first, $500 for second, and $250 for third. You can also register for the half-marathon of 13.1 miles and pay $95 for a great calorie-burner and a huge feeling of accomplishment.
What Are the Routes for The Bangor, Maine Marathon and Half-Marathon?
Both races begin at 515 Main Street. There will be a full marathon through Bangor out Valley Avenue to Broadway with a turnaround in the town of Kenduskeag and back to the finish at Bangor Waterfront Park (Dutton St entrance) just south of Geaghan’s restaurant.
There is only a 170′ elevation difference on the course profile from start to finish (this is a good thing for us who hate stairs). The half marathon follows the same course with a turn around on outer Broadway shortly after Pushaw Road. There is a course profile below with more details.
The Great Bangor Marathan & Half
It is being shared that there will be plenty of parking near the finish line for before and after the races. Medals will be made by the same company who provides them for the Boston Marathon. The race ends at The Great Bangor Marathon and Half’s beverage sponsor which is Geaghan’s. A garden will be open for post-race celebrations and beverages and for those “supporting” the racers (drinking while they run).
Great Bangor Maine Marathon Path
Other Details About The Great Bangor, Maine Marathon and Half
Aside from the opportunity of winning cash (if you place 1st through 3rd in the marathon) or enjoying the experience and accomplishment of a marathon or half, the most favorable detail of this race is that there is NO time limit. It is important to the organizers that every participant has the opportunity to finish their goal! Good luck!
Hiking Great Pond Mountain in Maine
Pictures from hiking Great Pond Mountain in Maine.
Gallery Credit: David
Gorham Mountain Trail in Acadia National Park, Maine
David and Moo hike and review Gorham Mountain Trail in Acadia National Park, Maine.
Gallery Credit: David
Maine
These are the Best Outdoor Dining Joints in Maine, According to Locals
It’s finally that time of year. warmer weather is here, and outdoor dining is right around the corner.
In Maine, that’s the real sign that spring has arrived. Restaurants, cafés, and bars start setting up their patios and sidewalk tables, and suddenly everything feels right in the world. After a long, tough winter, it’s a simple but welcome reminder that we made it through.
It also means Maine is gearing up for another year of hordes of tourists rolling into the state to enjoy all it has to offer. And local fare is certainly high on that list—because it’s, well, delicious.
How Great is Maine as a Foodie State?
We spend massive amounts of time discussing and dissecting every little aspect of the Maine restaurant scene. Whether it’s Portland, the surrounding area, Bar Harbor, Central Maine, the Midcoast, the Western Foothills, or the Southern Coast, this state is an absolute gold mine.
Oxbow Beer Garden via Facbeook
With warmer weather and longer days rolling in, I thought it’d be fun to take a look at some of the state’s best restaurants for outdoor seating—the spots that not only serve great food but also offer beautiful views of Maine’s charming towns and stunning landscapes.
Outdoor dining has absolutely blown up in Maine since 2020, with countless restaurants making use of any available outside space. It’s been a huge hit with both locals and tourists.
We put out the call for the joints Mainers say have the best outdoor dining—the restaurants that help shape a community and keep our stomachs full.
Jones Landing via Facebook
Now, thanks to our stations’ social media, we can finally put some names to those establishments.
What are the Best Maine Restaurants for Outdoor Dining?
Below is a list of many of the restaurants that were suggested to us. They vary in size, concept, and location. Some have opened recently, while others have been community staples for years. But they’re all true Maine originals.
READ MORE: Maine’s Chase’s Daily Named One of America’s Best Vegetarian Restaurants
You can check out the full list below. Hope you’re hungry—I know I am.
35 Maine Restaurants with the Best Outdoor Dining
Thanks to our great listeners we were able to compile a list of many of Maine’s restaurants with the best outdoor dining.
These great spots can be found across the state and waiting for you to give them a try.
How many have you been to? How many would you like to try for the first time?
Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka
2026’s Biggest Rock Tours
Rock reunions are creating some of the biggest headlines for 2026 – but there are lots of other huge shows on the way.
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
Maine
Maine Republican candidates are upset about their own party’s online poll
Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.
A Maine Republican Party online survey on the gubernatorial primary has sparked frustration and exposed divisions among the crowded field just a week before the party aims to project unity at its convention in Augusta.
Multiple campaigns told the Bangor Daily News they were not aware of the poll in advance or had not received the survey in an email sent out widely by the party last week. The campaigns said the survey’s timing and the fact that not every candidate had the chance to work the poll and vote for themselves sent the wrong message.
Former fitness executive Ben Midgley won the straw poll, which the party noted was not scientific. His campaign cited the nearly 32% support as a sign of rising momentum in a race that’s been led so far by lobbyist and former federal official Bobby Charles. Charles came in second at almost 30%, and entrepreneur Jonathan Bush came in third at 13%.
Charles has led previous polls without spending nearly as much on advertising as Bush or groups backing lobbyist and former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason. Midgley was among a large group of candidates stuck in the single digits in a survey released in March by Pan Atlantic Research.
Staffers at two campaigns said there was briefly talk of boycotting the convention after the poll. Delegates are poised to gather over Friday and Saturday at Augusta Civic Center, where the party says another straw poll is planned.
Mason said he did not see the survey in his email but acknowledged it may have been received by his team without it getting up the chain.
“It probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do for party unity,” Mason said. “It’s not the best look.”
Vincent Harris, a Charles spokesperson, said the campaign “did not push or promote this straw poll to a single person.” He said the campaign was unaware of the survey until Midgley’s release.
“As Republicans, we believe voter integrity is important and yet there was no clarity here,” he added.
Entrepreneur Owen McCarthy’s campaign was also not aware of the online stroll poll until after results were released. A spokesman for the campaign called it “unfortunate that with the convention right around the corner, the whole process has been tainted by the perception that party insiders are trying to foist their preferred candidate onto grassroots primary voters.”
Jason Savage, executive director of the Maine GOP, said the party believed all the candidates had received the poll, but “we take everybody at their word that says they didn’t receive it.”
He and a spokesperson for the Bush campaign also separately noted that the straw poll was discussed during a pre-convention Zoom meeting, and he said it went to the party’s entire email list. The poll went to at least two BDN email addresses.
Savage emphasized that the convention poll would be “one person, one vote” per delegate.
“Everything in a few days is going to be about the convention,” he said. “Everybody is invited to compete and do their best and see how they can do.”
Maine
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